Arizona Coyotes aim to bring more LGBTQ+ adults to hockey with learn-to-play programs – The Arizona Republic
Matthew Spang-Marshall’s transformation from a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” to a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community in hockey helped lay the foundation for the Arizona Legacy Pride Hockey Association.
Helping start Arizona’s first LGBTQ+ hockey league wasn’t a thought for him at all. But the development of the league that eventually caught the attention of the Arizona Coyotes is something that Spang-Marshall couldn’t have scripted better.
Growing up, he was never into organized sports and wasn’t around hockey until five years ago when he lived in Madison, Wisconsin. At first, he preferred a background role when his roommates joined the Madison Gay Hockey Association and was content with watching. But then he started to wonder what it would be like to be on the ice.
“I was like, I could do that, and they were like, come on! So I bought a pair of skates and I started to learn how to play hockey and it was the best thing I’ve done in my whole life,” Spang-Marshall said.
The Coyotes have fostered a culture of inclusion that was evident when Lyndsey Fry was hired by the team. The Olympic medalist and Chandler native disclosed to HR that she was married to a woman when she was first hired to help more girls play hockey. She received a warm response in return.
“I’ve felt nothing but love and support ever since,” Fry said. “I think we see it more and more in our actions, whether it’s hosting Pride Growlers, having a Pride Night at the arena, having a float in the Pride Parade, this is something that is real and genuine. We care a lot about it. As a member of this community, it’s especially special for me.”
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The Pride Growlers began in August 2021 as another adult learn-to-play program from the Coyotes, but with the purpose of having a safe environment for the LGBTQ+ community to learn hockey.
The Pride Growlers will conclude on July 31 and will be followed by ALPHA in September. The league’s registration will begin in August.
“Just being an underserved community, you don’t really know that you’re going to catch the eye of anybody like that. I just didn’t expect anybody to reach out and help so the fact that it was there definitely was nice,” Spang-Marshall said.
While working a truck driving job that demands most of his time, he devotes time and money to ALPHA. The league is accessible to the community, but also accessible with free clinics in the summer at Oceanside Ice Arena.
“It ends up costing me money, but it’s worth that one person coming up to me and telling me they’re grateful for this and they’re having fun on the ice,” Spang-Marshall said.
His hours put into the group have taught him about organizing a sports league, but it’s taught him invaluable lessons about his own community. He is a voice for those in the LGBTQ+ community who face different everyday challenges than him.
“This taught me how to be an ally in my own community,” Spang-Marshall said. “That’s actually a big issue, especially with cisgender white gay men. Generally, we tend to live in our own bubble because life is not that hard for us or we’re definitely the least marginalized in the community. I was told that I could use that to have conversations with people who don’t want to affiliate with our community. I could be the face that they could see so that I could get our community in.”
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In his role, he has encountered several former hockey players who have left the sport due to uncomfortable locker room situations and homophobic language.
“Even if it wasn’t directly correlated, what happens is the language that’s used, it might not even be directed at their teammates, but because they hear their teammates saying those things, they don’t feel like they’re connected to the team. They know what their teammates believe and how they speak, and it makes them feel uncomfortable to be in the locker room or around that kind of language,” Spang-Marshall said.
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When Pride Growlers began, it was only marketed to members of the community. However, there were still issues with getting people on board.
To combat the issue, the group was then open to allies of the community for this year’s session.
“I think that some of that has to do with the fact that people in the LGBTQ+ don’t necessarily know if hockey is a safe space for them. What we ended up doing was we opened it up to the LGBTQ+ community and allies. When we did that, what was incredible was to see it instantly sold out as soon as we allowed allies to register,” Fry said.
There aren’t any plans to change the makeup of those who can sign up.
“I think it’s important to have that mix because I think that cohesion is sort of what’s missing in not just hockey, but other sports communities. It shows it’s not just one or the other, we all want to coexist in sport and that’s the best thing about it,” Fry said.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz.