Flex changerooms coming to Calgary arenas to accommodate female players

The City of Calgary is upgrading arenas by adding room for the increasing number of female players.

Flex change rooms are being added to some city-owned arenas to accommodate athletes of all genders in sports like hockey. The decision comes one month after Hockey Canada amended its change room policy in Ontario to allow players to use the change room that best fits their gender identify, following a complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal by a transgender player.

"If you're on a team with both genders, you're a team and you should be able to connect together," said Mallory McCoshen, who plays on a girls hockey team in Calgary. "Honestly, changing is no different than going swimming or something like that so I don't see the big deal."

There are more than 1,100 girls playing hockey in Calgary, according to Hockey Calgary, and more than half of them are playing on what were once considered all-male teams.

Two flex rooms have already been added at Ernie Starr Arena and Rose Kohn Arena, and work is currently underway to add a flex change room at Shouldice Arena.

The Village Square Leisure Centre and Stew Hendry arenas will get flex change rooms in 2015 and Frank McCool Arena will get them in 2016.

"When you have men and women playing together on a team, one change room is insufficient," said Thomas Hansen, a recreation manager at the City of Calgary. "It's a long road ahead but we're making it a priority to include these amenities as part of future enhancements."

Makayla Fletcher has been playing hockey for two and a half years and started out on a co-ed team, where she was the only girl.

She switched to a girls team last year and says being able to be a part of the locker room bonding is important to building bonds between the team.

"Now I can actually hear and participate in conversations with the team," she said. "It's a lot different because I used to actually get changed in the hallway or in another dressing room and then join the team later. I find that I play better now because I participate with the team more."