William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, the Kenya Ice Lionesses and the support that the fledgling women’s hockey program in East Africa is receiving from individuals and organizations in North America.
Tim Colby was heartened by the number of players who showed to practice for Kenya’s fledgling women’s ice hockey program earlier this season.
“Their age range was about 13 to late 20s and there were about 21 of them,” said Colby, a Canadian expat who is coach and general manager of the only ice hockey program in East Africa. “And it was a real déjà vu experience seeing that and very encouraging because I’ve seen the development of the senior guys since we began, and I see the trajectory has already started with the women.”
Colby is also appreciative of the outpouring of support for women’s hockey in Kenya from individuals and organizations in North America like Sticks Together, Black Girl Hockey Club Canada and Hockey Canada in helping the Ice Lionesses to roar and someday soar on the international hockey stage.
Sticks Together, an international non-profit that uses hockey as a tool for education and empowerment, donated more than $3,000 in October to aid the Ice Lionesses for the season.
The funds are being used to cover ice time costs ($160 CAD per hour) at the small rink inside Nairobi’s Panari Hotel, East Africa’s only indoor ice sheet, for the women to practice for the season.
“This partnership is a lifeline for our players,” Colby said. “Ice time is our greatest challenge, and without it, the team cannot exist. Thanks to Sticks Together, our girls will have the chance to develop not only as hockey players but also as leaders in their schools and communities.”
Sarah Thompson, a former St. Lawrence University forward who founded Sticks Together in 2022, used prize money she earned as the recipient of the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award on April 11.