ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (NBC 26) — Since 1999, the Green Bay Dragons have given women of all skill levels an opportunity to learn and play competitive recreational hockey. But since 2010, the organization has seen exponential growth, thanks to the sport's success on the largest stages – national television and Olympic competitions.
"We're all here because we love hockey, we love the game, and we know other women who love the game, or we know women who are interested in hockey and maybe haven't had the opportunity," Alyssa Brown, president of the Green Bay Dragons said.
On any given Sunday September through May, you can find the Dragons practicing at Cornerstone Community Center's rink 2. Leaders say they've seen the non-profit quadruple their regular turnout over the last dozen years in a way that's unique to women teams: word of mouth.
"Typically it's done personally," Brown said. "Somebody that you work with, or a friend of a friend, or you know your sister-in-law. Somebody who you know has always been interested and just wants to give it a try, or maybe their kid skated."
Today, Tina Neumann plays alongside her daughter Andrea Diederich. Neumann's hockey journey began when Andrea first saw women's Olympic hockey many years ago.
"Mom tells me that I was watching a game of hockey and I pointed at the TV screen and said, 'I want to do that,'" Diederich said. "So we got me on skates around eight years old, and its been my life ever since then."
A few years later, Diederich volunteered her mom to coach a youth team when the program was expanding. After coaching her up the ranks, Neumann took the ice as a player with the Dragons for the first time in 2017.
Many players think the growing media and exposure for the women's sport has an immediate impact on the youth pipeline, and are eager to see further generations inspired by adult women at the rink.
"Especially with more women, people and children will see like their moms playing hockey," player Karly Kalies said. "Like my mom used to play hockey, but this was never an option for her when she was younger."
The Dragons have gone from barely fielding two lines of players to approaching four different teams based on skill levels.
"We struggled for years, I mean don't get me wrong," Melissa Browne, treasurer and longest-tenured member of the Dragons said. "But I mean after that, we started getting in these younger [players]. You know, they played high school, they want to play somewhere else and they're not going to college. So the Dragons are here for everyone."
