On Tuesday, the PHF Players’ Association announced Alex Sinatra as their new Executive Director. The role was occupied by current Metropolitan Riveters general manager Anya Packer. On Wednesday, the PHFPA held a press conference with the media to introduce Sinatra and discuss what the plan is from now on.
Alex Sinatra Elected PHFPA’s Executive Director
Sinatra is well known in the women’s sports world. She’s an attorney, getting her degree from Texas A&M University School of Law, and also has a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Founder and CEO of the strategic sports consulting company Your Potential for Everything, she helps women build and grow their own businesses.
The new Executive Director was elected by the players to advocate for them and their rights. And Boston Pride defender Mallory Souliotis made sure to express how excited they are to welcome her.
“We’re extremely proud to introduce Alex Sinatra as the next Executive Director of the PHFPA,” Souliotis said in her opening remarks. “We believe that Alex’s skills set, knowledge and attitude will help drive the players association into a pivotal next chapter here at the PHF.”
The Pride defender was the bridge between the Players’ Association and Sinatra, being the one to reach out to the new Executive Director about the position.
How'd I get here: Executive Director of the @nwhlpa.
Networking & women supporting women.
For those who have struggled or are struggling. Keep fighting, working hard, & it's okay to ask for help.@Bridget_Gannon_ | @yourpalMAL9 https://t.co/FyA986PBjM#HockeyTwitter
— 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝑬𝒔𝒒. (@YourPotential4) January 3, 2022
Alex Sinatra’s Plan With The PHFPA
The PHF has had a players association since their first year as the former NWHL, in 2015. Since then, the association has held an important role as they helped active and retired players get their rights and give a voice to the athletes.
As a former athlete, Sinatra has an athletes-first mentality and that’s what she plans to bring to the PHFPA. During the media conference, She answered questions and highlighted a few things she plans on doing as Executive Director.
In spite of having the job for less than a week, Sinatra is already working towards improvements. She has already met with three of the six PHF teams to discuss what are the things they want to see happen in the future.
“Last night [Tuesday] I had a conversation with one of the teams about needs vs. wants to create a list of three needs and three wants that they’d like to see.” Sinatra answered when asked what is on her to-do list “And I’ll be doing that with every single team so that each team can bring forth their ‘threes’ of what they’d like to see done in the short and long term.”
Furthermore, the association will be looking to create a more player-friendly contract structure. The PHF got a significant rise in their salary cap right after the 2020-21 playoffs ended. As a result, the players and teams got more stability and better contracts.
Packer was a big advocate for standard player contracts and a fair salary for the players. In addition to Packer’s efforts in the past, Sinatra will be looking for clarity. The PHFPA wants to create a bridge to clear communication with the teams and owners.
Sinatra Looking To Use Her Background To Help
Hockey is well known for not being the most diverse sport in the world. If anything, it is quite the opposite. Even in women’s hockey, the lack of diversity is still clear and needs to be worked on.
Sinatra is a big advocate for women and marginalized groups. Her goal is to use her marketing and entrepreneur background to help the athletes build their own brands. A concern for a lot of these athletes is what happens after their careers are over. She plans on bringing workshops to show the players how to build businesses to sustain them after retirement. In addition to that, she highlighted that the PHFPA is looking to grow the game. They want to create a platform where women’s and men’s hockey will have an equal part in media.
“We’re going to make sure that the lack of coverage for women’s sports is going to be changing. We’re looking to partner with big brands, to build out content and these players’ profile so that we won’t be talking about women’s hockey, we’ll be talking about hockey.”
In fact, the new Executive Director was quick to add that she’ll be working alongside the PHF to look for new sponsorships. The league announced an exclusive partnership with Upper Deck to release physical and digital trading cards next season. On Wednesday, their partnership with Warrior Hockey was made public and Warrior will be their official hockey equipment provider.
The Premier Hockey Federation today announced a new multi-year agreement with Warrior to be the Official Hockey Equipment Provider of the PHF!
Details 👑: https://t.co/u9noQCaHnI pic.twitter.com/hqfh6eIiz4
— PHF (@PHF) January 5, 2022
Sinatra’s experience and vision will be of good use for the players as she advocates for them. As the league continues to grow and gain more space, the players will need assistance to navigate the new chapters. Sinatra has the knowledge and will to help them grow the sport and get their rights and needs listened to.
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