Hockey academies · Prep programs · Skills schools

Hockey academy marketing that fills every intake

We're a hockey academy marketing agency for academies, prep programs and skills schools in Canada and the US. We plan around your intake calendar, make reels from your real ice time, and build the ads, pages and follow-up that turn parents into registered players.

Youth hockey players on the bench watching the play
$1,938
Median yearly cost of youth hockey in Canada
Jumpstart · Jan 2026
603,000+
Registered players in Hockey Canada programs, 2024-25
Hockey Canada · Jun 2025
90%+
Hockey Canada retention, ages 5 to 16
Hockey Canada · Jun 2025
The problem

Why do hockey academies need a different kind of marketing?

Because hockey is now the premium choice for Canadian families, and parents shop it that way. A national survey of nearly 6,000 parents for Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities put the median yearly cost of youth hockey at $1,938, against $450 for soccer. When a family pays that much, they want proof before they commit.

The good news is the families who play are staying. Hockey Canada reported more than 603,000 registered players for 2024-25, up 2.4%, with over 70,000 new players, more than 115,000 women and girls, and retention for ages 5 to 16 above 90%.

So the market isn't shrinking. It's choosier. Hockey ranked eighth for youth participation at 22%, while soccer led at 50%, according to the same Jumpstart report. Your academy is competing for families who've already done the maths. That means three things:

Young hockey player in a caged helmet looking up the ice
  1. Proof beats hype. Parents want drills, coaching and progress, not just goals.
  2. Price needs context. Show what's included per hour of ice and coaching.
  3. Timing matters more. Families plan hockey spend months ahead. Late marketing loses.
What we do

What does a hockey academy marketing agency do?

It fills your programs. For a hockey academy that means mapping every intake and tryout window, filming real ice time, running Meta and Google ads in each window, building one landing page per program, and making sure every parent inquiry gets a same-day reply. We report on registered players, not likes.

01

Your intake calendar, 18 months out.

We write down every window: fall academy intake, winter break clinics, spring hockey, tryouts and evaluation skates, summer camps and re-registration. Each one gets its own campaign, starting 8 to 12 weeks before it opens.

02

Tryout and camp funnels.

One program, one page, one form. Dates, rink, age group, ice hours, coach ratio, price and a registration button that repeats down the page. Parents arriving from an ad can say yes in one visit.

03

Reels from real ice time.

We come to your rink and leave with a month of content. Drill clips that explain the why, the same player eight weeks apart, coaches on camera, parent and player voices. Even a program with a hundred kids under 14 has an audience, because parents watch and parents share.

04

Ads in the window.

Meta to reach hockey parents within a sensible drive of your rink. Google search for "hockey camp [city]", "spring hockey [city]" and your academy's name. Retargeting with the deadline for anyone who visited and didn't register.

05

Follow-up that doesn't leak.

Instant email and text, a same-day reply from a coach or director, an evaluation-skate invite on day 2 and a deadline reminder. In my experience, leads come in and nobody follows up, and that's usually the real leak, not the ad spend.

A hockey academy year

When should a hockey academy market each program?

Start each campaign 8 to 12 weeks before its registration window opens, and keep training content running all year in between. Here's how we'd plan a typical northern academy year. Your dates will differ, so this is a starting point, not a rule.

MonthsWhat families are doingWhat we run for you
Jan to FebThinking about spring and next seasonAds on for spring hockey and evaluation skates. Early push for next year's academy intake.
Mar to AprSeason ends. Spring hockey and tryouts.Tryout and evaluation funnels. Next-season academy registration push. Returning families get first pick.
May to JunSpring programs running. Summer plans being made.Summer camp ads and pages. Early-bird for the fall academy intake. Testimonials collected.
Jul to AugSummer skills and campsCamps fill and get filmed. Fall intake main push. Re-registration for current families.
Sep to OctRegular season startsIn-season development content. Winter break clinic pages go live.
Nov to DecMid-season. Holiday plans.Winter break camp and clinic push. Gift-a-program offer. Spring campaigns planned.
The point

Every row has a sales window. A lot of academies only market one or two of them.

“

I think hockey has priced itself out for a lot of Canadian families. That's the reality an academy markets into. When a family is spending four times what a soccer family spends, they want proof before they commit.

Rounak Sardesai · Founder, Coala Studio

That's why we build every campaign on real training footage and real development, not highlight reels alone.

Results

What results has Coala had in sports?

We're a sports-only team, and these are the results our clients have approved us to share.

500+
Leads in 4 months for BC Prep
175+
Camp sign-ups for BC Prep
600K+
Views on one BC Prep reel
11.2K
Followers for Urumi Athletics, off 20 posts

For Mosaic Sports, we built the brand and athlete management platform from scratch.

See all our sports work →
Fit check

Is Coala the right fit for your academy?

Hire us if

  • You run a hockey academy, prep program, skills school or hockey camp.
  • You've got room for more players next intake.
  • You can commit a real monthly budget for a full season.
  • You'll give us rink access, footage approvals and your ad account.
  • Someone on your team answers and works every inquiry.

Don't hire us if

  • Nobody has time to follow up with the parents who inquire.
  • You want the cheapest option on the market.
  • You want us to post and hope, without tracking registrations.

Not sure? Tell us what you're trying to fill and we'll give you a straight answer.

Free guide

Read the full hockey academy guide

The intake calendar, the content, the ads, the landing page checklist and the follow-up process that fills every program. Free, and written for academy owners and directors.

FAQ

Hockey academy marketing questions

What does a hockey academy marketing agency do?

It fills your programs. That means planning campaigns around your intake and tryout windows, filming real training, running Meta and Google ads, building one landing page per program, and following up every parent inquiry the same day.

How far ahead should a hockey academy start marketing?

Start paid campaigns 8 to 12 weeks before each registration window opens. Keep posting training content all year, so families already know you when the ads start.

Do you only work with hockey academies in BC?

No. We're based in Surrey, BC, and work with academies, prep programs and clubs across Canada and the US, remotely and with shoot days on site.

How do you measure hockey academy marketing?

In registered players. We track inquiries, the inquiry-to-registration rate, cost per registration and re-registration, and agree the targets with you before launch.

How much does youth hockey cost in Canada?

A January 2026 Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities survey of nearly 6,000 parents put the median yearly cost of youth hockey at $1,938, against $450 for soccer.

Let's map your next intake

Tell us which program you're trying to fill and when it opens. On a 30-minute call we'll map the window and tell you what we'd build first. If it's something you can do yourselves, we'll say so.

Map my next intake →