Dalhousie Women in Sport Society creates space for female sports fans

The Dalhousie Women in Sport (DWIS) Society provides a supportive community for all female identifying and non-binary Dalhousie University students with a passion for sport.

Society President Reagan Lindsay-Kereluik’s social media post about an idea for a new campus group was the first indication of the new society in August 2022.

“There wasn’t really anything I could find on campus that was speaking to what I wanted to do, so I decided to start my own thing,” said Lindsay-Kereluik. “Within the first couple days of posting it, we had general member interest, and we ended up with a full exec team.”

Her vision of creating a space where women who are athletes, fans or aspiring sports industry workers could come together to share their passion took off. Today the society has 200 members and counting.

Through educational panels with sports professionals, charity events, volunteer opportunities and group trips to Dalhousie and Halifax sporting events, members are offered countless opportunities to learn, grow and flourish in the world of sports.

Vice President Emma Dyer has also been involved in DWIS since its creation, and she is proud of the society’s growth over the years.

“It means a lot to see how much work Reagan has put into it,” said Dyer. “I remember a few years ago it was just a few of us, and now the executive team is about 20 girls, so it’s great to see it growing so much.”

Women’s sports on the rise

It’s no secret women’s sports are on the rise. In 2024, records were broken in attendance and viewership for professional women’s basketball, hockey and soccer. The media coverage of women’s sports is continuing to increase as well.  

The newly formed Northern Super League (NSL) will introduce the Halifax Tides, a professional women’s soccer team whose inaugural season begins on April 26. In February, Halifax hosted a Rivalry Series game between Canada and the U.S.’s women’s hockey teams. Despite Canada’s loss in the game, the turnout of 9,265 fans could put Halifax on the radar for a Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team as the league looks to expand in the next few years. 

“I think there’s never been a better time to get involved,” said Lindsay-Kereluik, speaking on the growth of women’s sports. “Whether that means you want to try your hand at playing a sport or you want to work in it or just go to a game. We’ve never had a professional women’s team in the Maritimes, so I think that’s super exciting.”

DWIS’ involvement in the community

This year, DWIS members volunteered with Club Inclusion — a Halifax charity that provides social and recreational programs to individuals 12 and up with various intellectual, developmental or physical disabilities. Club Inclusion ran their Jays baseball program in partnership with the Jays Care Foundation.

In October, the society put a team together for the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for The Cure in Halifax, raising over $4700 to support breast cancer awareness and research.

In January, DWIS hosted a Women in Sports Business & Fitness Speaker Panel in partnership with Dalhousie’s Girls That Lift Society. Lindsay-Kereluik said the society also brought in members of the Halifax Tides and the Halifax Thunderbirds. Featured speakers included; business development manager for the Halifax Tides, Ally Pedvis; head physiotherapist for the Dalhousie football club, Lisa Wilson; and communications manager and digital host for the Halifax Thunderbirds, Maki Jenner.

DWIS encourages attendance at Dalhousie home games in all women’s sports by organizing group attendance to games. They also host watch parties for various sporting events throughout the year.

The second DWIS women’s dodgeball tournament is coming up on March 23, and will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with all proceeds going to Adsum for Women and Children. Adsum provides daily support to more than 500 people in Halifax Regional Municipality. Registration will open soon on the Dalhousie Women in Sport Instagram page.

“We had a great turnout last time, and it was a super fun day,” said Dyer. “We are hosting it again this year, coming up soon, and hope to see even more teams coming out.”

Lindsay-Kereluik and Dyer will graduate this year and leave Dalhousie to continue their pursuits. Both hope to see continued growth and excitement for the Dalhousie Women in Sport Society after they are gone.

“I hope with every year we get more people going to the Tigers games for women and more people joining the society and raising awareness,” said Lindsay-Kereluik. “I hope people can see that there’s a place for you in women’s sports, no matter who you are.”