Chatham-Kent to build new dressing room after female hockey players' room taken away

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent announced it will build a new dressing room at the East Kent Memorial Arena, after young female hockey players had theirs taken away to make room for an all-boys AAA team.

Female players who had been using a standard dressing room complete with benches, showers and bathrooms were bumped to a room directly off the arena lobby, according to Shawn Allen from the South Kent Minor Hockey Association.

The president of the SKMHA issued a statement to the municipality of Chatham-Kent Sunday, calling for staff to reinstate the girls' dressing room at the East Kent Memorial Arena in order to "restore safety, security, dignity and equality to female players."

On Wednesday, the municipality said it received a request from the Chatham-Kent Cyclones AAA Minor Hockey Association to lease a dedicated dressing room. Staff decided the best place for the team was the East Kent Memorial Arena, and allocated a storage room plus a dressing room to the Cyclones. 

However, that dressing room accommodated girls who play on a co-ed team and they had to be moved. 

"In response to concerns about the alternative room location and available amenities, a new dressing room will be constructed in the same location as the other dressing rooms in the arena, with equitable amenities," said a statement from the municipality. 

The new room will accommodate up to eight players participating on the co-ed team and "meets the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association recommendations for proper square footage," said the statement. 

Construction is expected to be completed by January 8.