The Cardiff Devils:
A 21st Century Fanbase
We take a look at the Devils
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By Conor O'Connell | 14th December, 2022
If you know a decent amount of women in Cardiff, the chances are, you know a couple of Cardiff Devils fans.
And on top of that, they’re likely to be really, really into them.
Just take a walk around the city center and you’re likely to see a female wearing a Devils jumper, whether there’s a match on that day or not.
The number of Devils fans shouldn’t come as a shock, since, as recently as last year, the team were ranked as the UK’s 6th most loved sports team, but the significant number of females representing the team is shocking compared to other male dominated sports.
However, according to the Devils managing director, Todd Kehlmann, female support makes up 48% of the fanbase.
So that explains why their ubiquity shouldn’t be surprising.
Georgia Thomas is one of these die hard Cardiff Devils fans.
Someone whose fandom began with Disney’s Mighty Ducks movies, and now see’s her volunteering for Cardiff’s second division Ice Hockey team, the Cardiff Fire.
When I asked her if she felt that Todd Kelhmans stats corresponded with what she saw at the games she agreed, stating, “When you go to a game, you feel like there’s a 50/50 split”, she continues by confirming, “you definitely see as many women as there are men”.
When asking her why ice hockey appeals to women she claimed that, “I find personally that Cardiff Devils games are very family orientated and family friendly”, adding, “you feel quite safe at the game”.
Georgia’s beliefs also correspond with Todd Kelhman’s, as he claims that it’s due to the ‘family oriented experience’ that the club provides.
This is backed up by the organisations policy on ‘no bad language rule’ during the games.
It appears that the welcoming experience that the Devils provide is the key to their success amongst women, and attending games is “a very social thing to do now”, according to Georgia.
Entrance to Ice Arena Wales
Beth and Chloe Grovell make for recogniseable figures during the ice hockey season.
A pair of passionate, out-spoken twins whose attendance has become a staple of Cardiff Devils games.
Like Georgia Thomas, their love of ice hockey has extended beyond being a spectator and resulted in them getting involved with the orginisation through volunteering.
As they have both been attending Cardiff Devils games since 2010, I consulted them on how other sports, such as football and rugby, could take advice from the Cardiff Devils.
Football especially, is known historically for having a male dominated scene that can be seen as hostile and aggressive.
Chloe claims, “(Ice) Hockey is for everyone, it’s has a very inclusive family friendly atmosphere where everyone can enjoy their love for their sport without feeling intimidated by other fans or supporters”.
Chloe believes that in order for football to attract more female supporters that they need to create an environment “where women would feel safer to take their kids”.
Beth highlighted the lengths that the Devils organisation goes to to not only create a positive environment, but to include their fans in a number of different activities on game night.
She states, “(Ice) Hockey also gets fans involved, with things from team meets to even skating with the team and puck sponsorships”.
She also tells me that the Devils will adjust their schedule to fit the needs of their fanbase in order to cater to family’s with younger children.
“They also have family nights”.
“Games (are) put at an earlier time, especially for family’s to be able to attend”.
Despite Todd Kehlmann stating in his email about how Ice Hockey is a ‘spectator sport rather than a participant sport”, the irony is, a large part of the teams success is due to their focus on getting fans to participate with the team.
'Ice Arena Wales', where the Devils play their home matches
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