Club Scarlet: NHL's First All-Female Fan Club

The Washington Capitals are reaching out to a new fan base with the creation of Club Scarlet, the NHL's first all-female fan club.  Their website invites women to become members and receive invitations to Caps events, learn more about the players and about hockey, and read blogs written by fans.  Recent events have included a "Hockey ‘N Heels" program, where women gathered to participate in events including on-ice demonstrations of wrist shots and slap shots, a Hockey 101 "Chalk Talk," an interactive film session with Cap's coach Bruce Boudreau, and a wrap-up cocktail party attended by some of the players.

The fan club has been met with mixed reactions.  Many are excited that a professional sports team, especially a team with such a traditionally male-dominated fan base, is making a strong effort to reach out to women. Others have called the effort a "Puck Bunny-ish insult" to female fans that are often quite knowledgeable about the game.

Personally, I think that this is a great concept, as long as it is recognized that there's a balance that needs to be struck here. The Washington Capitals have tried what no NHL team, and very few teams of any professional-league sport have done before: they've made a conscious effort to acknowledge and incorporate women as an important part of their fan base. True, the near-glamour shots of the players on the club's website may seem like a bit much, but this in itself seems relatively harmless.  The real danger in this is making sure that it doesn't turn into a trivialized outreach that demeans female fans.

First, the Caps need to recognize that there are many different types of female hockey fans (just as there are many different types of male hockey fans).  While some women are just learning the sport and can benefit from events like "Hockey 101," there are other women who can out-stat-quote many of the male fans. Events should be tailored to both crowds.  Second, while many women might enjoy reading blogs about female fandom and being a hockey mom, others would prefer more commentary on the game itself.  Other than a short bio of each player, the site boasts very little in the way of anything that could be considered true hockey content. Adding a section with game highlights and analysis or team and player stats would be a welcome change to those female fans that are more familiar with the sport.  Club Scarlet needs to resist the urge to "dumb down" the game for the female fans because for most, it just isn't necessary.

Overall, it's great to finally see some recognition of the female fan base by a professional sport- and especially by the NHL. So long as the Caps acknowledge the true range of female fans and start to reach out to the seasoned hockey-watching veterans as well as the newbies, Club Scarlet could really become something for other professional sports franchises to model.