Media Alert / Photo-Opportunity - Hockey champion Natalie Spooner inspires Toronto youth at skills clinic

 Over 75 local female athletes from grades 6-12 join Canadian Women's Hockey League athletes and coaches for a Q&A and skills clinic, hosted by Canada's dairy farmers

MONTREAL, Oct. 14, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ -

PHOTO:	Canada's dairy farmers have invited over 75 Toronto area female students from grades 6-12 for an exclusive skills clinic led by Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) athlete and coaches. After the clinic, the student athletes will then participate in a Q&A, hosted by Fuelling Women Champions (FWC) ambassador, champion hockey player and CWHL athlete, Natalie Spooner, who will speak about her journey as a woman in sport. After the Q&A, Natalie will be available for autographs and photos with the youth athletes.
WHEN:	Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 4:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
	4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Registration and skills clinic prep
	5:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Hockey skills clinic
	8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Q&A session and autograph signing with Natalie Spooner
WHERE:	MasterCard Centre, 400 Kipling Ave., Toronto, ON. M8V 3L1
WHY:	FWC is partnering with the CWHL to shine a light on women's sport, specifically hockey leading up to the Toronto Furies first season game October 17 against the Boston Blades.
	According to data reported by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), women are severely under-represented in sports: 99.6 per cent of sponsorship dollars in the sports industry go to male sports; Compensation in female sport is still exponentially less than that of male sport; Girls become less active as they transition from childhood to adolescence. Between ages 5-12, 56 per cent of girls are not active enough. In the teen years, that figure jumps to 70 per cent; In Canada, only 19 per cent of women participate in sports; Still, Canada's female athletes have experienced unparalleled success on the global stage in recent years.
	Given this landscape, Canada's dairy farmers have banded together with leading sports thought leaders to develop a multi-year women-in-sport strategy entitled Fuelling Women Champions. This social change initiative is designed to see that no hurdle exists that might hinder passion for the game, and, in the inaugural year, to shine a spotlight on women in sport, banding Canadians together from coast-to-coast to join in the movement.
WHO:	The following athletes and sports leaders will be available for interviews: Natalie Spooner, hockey champion Jeff Stanton, local dairy farmer

SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Canada (Marketing and Nutrition)

To schedule an interview, please contact: PM Rendon / Keka DasGupta, DDB Public Relations, 416-972-7784 / 416-972-7727, [email protected] / [email protected]