All-Female Officiating Crew Makes History at Hockey Alberta Provincials

Carley Jewell was one of ten officials to make history at the U13 Female A Provincial Championships held in Picture Butte. For the first time in Hockey Alberta history an all-female crew officiated the full tournament. 

“As an active member of female hockey for the entirety of my hockey career it was really exciting, and honestly felt like it should’ve happened earlier. Playing boys hockey growing up until I switched to girls hockey when I was 12, and then playing female hockey at the highest levels possible (AA and AAA) and then to university, I had never experienced an all female officiating crew for an entire weekend.”

Jewell began her hockey career in Manitoba, where she played minor hockey all the way up to Midget AAA. She also began officiating under Hockey Manitoba when she was fourteen. After wrapping up her minor hockey career, Jewell relocated to Edmonton to play for MacEwan University, where she stayed for all five years of her eligibility. During that time the MacEwan Griffins won three consecutive ACAC Championships. In her third year Jewell led all ACAC defensemen in scoring with six goals and twenty points in twenty four games, and was named the ACAC player of the year. Jewell graduated from MacEwan University in 2020, and is now pursuing her Masters of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Lethbridge. 

With her time-consuming academic schedule Jewell was unable to allot enough time to coach, so she opted to restart officiating as a way to give back to the hockey community. “Being a hockey player was and still is a huge part of my identity, and so when my playing career came to an end I wanted to continue to engage with the sport.” 

In addition to highlighting the historic milestone accomplished by the all-female crew, Jewell noted the importance of recognizing how qualified each of the ten officials were. “The officials chosen were the best for the job, and sex, although important to highlight, can overshadow the accomplishments of these officials. That being said, it was extremely exciting and validating to be a part of the all-female crew as it demonstrates a push in the right direction to have girls hockey officiated by all females.”

When asked for her thoughts on how we can continue to grow female hockey and female officiating in Canada, Jewell acknowledged the importance of bringing more visibility to the game. 

“I know that there are several all-female clinics for both coaches and officials, however I think a more sustainable program of female officiating development throughout the province would be beneficial. Specifically, I think it is important to have females in roles that are making decisions about female hockey, as these individuals can speak to their unique experiences. Further, as there are development camps for higher level female officials, I think a grassroots program targeted at younger female officials to get them engaged in officiating early alongside having female mentors/support systems, would be beneficial in keeping female officials in the game.”