The Women of Color Hockey Collective recently conducted three-day sports clinics in Kingston, Jamaica. Approximately 150 local children were introduced to the fundamentals of hockey at the Jamaican National Stadium .
150 Kingston youths introduced to hockey at the National Stadium
The recent clinics in Kingston served as a grassroots entry point for children who had likely never encountered the sport. According to the report, the three-day event focused on basic skills, including shooting and stick handling, allowing participants to move from basic drills to actively running with the ball by the end of the weekend.
Saroya Tinker, a broadcaster and co-founder of the Women of Color Hockey Collective, described the event as an emotional homecoming. tinker, who helped establish the organization—originally known as the Black Girl Hockey Club Canada—emphasized that the mission was about giving back to a community where many of the collective's members have ancestral roots.
Swift Hockey's role in donating 75 sticks and equipment
The logistics of the Kingston event were made possible through a partnership with Swift Hockey, a Canadian company specializing in affordable equipment. Zechariah Thomas, the founder of Swift Hockey and a former member of Jamaica's national ice hockey team, provided the necessary gear to ensure the sport was accessible to the youth.
Thomas, who was born in Oshawa, Ontario, highlighted a stark social contrast in his own upbringing to explain the necessity of these programs. As the report says, Thomas noted that many of his childhood peers ended up in prison or deceased, attributing part of this trajectory to a lack of access to organized sports. To ensure the impact lasted beyond the weekend, the Women of Color Hockey Collective left behind 75 hockey sticks, balls, T-shirts, and goalie equipment.
From the PWHL to the Caribbean: The push for ancestral representation
The presence of high-profile athletes like Jaques, a defender for PWHL Vancouver and the Canadian national team, provided a concrete example of success for the Jamaican children. jaques, whose father is Jamaican, argued that seeing people of their own heritage excel in a historically non-diverse sport is a critical lesson in possibility for the youth in Kingston.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to dismantle the barriers that have kept women and girls of color out of hockey. While the Women of Color Hockey Collective has previously run programs across Canada with support from the Professional Women's Hockey League, the expansion into Jamaica represents a strategic shift toward international outreach and the global diversification of the sport.
Will the Kenya virtual connection lead to more global clinics?
While the Kingston event was a physical success, it follows a smaller-scale virtual connection the Women of Color Hockey Collective established with three girls in Kenya a year ago. This raises the question of whether the organization intends to build a permanent international pipeline or if these events will remain sporadic, high-impact visits.
Furthermore, the report does not specify if there are local Jamaican coaches or organizations equipped to maintain the 75 sticks and equipment left behind . Without a structured local league or a permanent facility in Kingston , it remains unclear how the 150 participants will trransition from a three-day cliinic to long-term athletic development.
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