DULUTH, GA – The ECHL has announced the formation of the Hockey Is For Everyone Committee in conjunction with the League’s announcement with the National Hockey League and American Hockey League to adopt the Hockey Is For Everyone initiative. Seven ECHL team presidents have been placed on the committee, and Gladiators team president Jerry James has been named chairman.
The objective of this committee will be to support best practice and initiatives for inclusion within the ECHL. That includes reaching out to diverse groups, enacting player education concepts, and evaluating league-wide initiatives. The committee will also serve as a forum to discuss and make suggestions on social issues impacting our game and our society.
The Gladiators play in Gwinnett County, one of the most diverse counties in the Southeastern United States, and strive to use their platform as a voice for youth development and hockey awareness in the community. Team president Jerry James has spearheaded this effort, engaging various groups and enacting new promotions that celebrate the diversity in the metro Atlanta area. As the league’s first Hispanic chief executive, this appointment serves as the next indicator that James is blazing a new trail for the ECHL and the sport.
“Hockey is a unifying game that can bring together people from all walks of life,” James noted. “I commend the league on the formation of this committee, and am honored to serve as the chairman. The phrase ‘Hockey Is For Everone’ is a great mantra, but we must do more as a league and as a sport to embody it.”
The committee will convene for the first time in January 2021. Stay tuned to the Gladiators’ and ECHL’s media channels for updates on future committee initiatives.
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