/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

[Academy name] · Spring program

Spring hockey · register now

DatesAgesIce hrsPrice
Register →
Young hockey player in a caged helmet looking up the ice Reel Same player, eight weeks apart
Youth hockey game with players battling for the puck

$1,938

a year for youth hockey in Canada. Soccer: $450.

/Jumpstart · Jan 2026

603,000+

registered players in Hockey Canada programs, 2024-25

/Hockey Canada · Jun 2025

90%+

stay in the game. Hockey Canada retention, ages 5 to 16

/Hockey Canada · Jun 2025

Why do hockey academies need a different kind of marketing?

/The problem

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:

01

Proof beats hype.

Parents want drills, coaching and progress, not just goals.

02

Price needs context.

Show what's included per hour of ice and coaching.

03

Timing matters more.

Families plan hockey spend months ahead. Late marketing loses.

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.

Young hockey players drilling in front of the net at practice
/Real training footage
Young hockey player in a caged helmet looking up the ice
Real development

What does a hockey academy marketing agency do?

/It fills your programs. Registered players, not likes.

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Intake calendar · 18 months

JanMarMayJulSepNov
[Academy name]Sponsored
Kids in helmets skating with sticks and pucks on a frozen lake
Fall intake · spots openSign up
Youth hockey players leaning over the boards watching their teammatesReel

New inquiry · replied same day

Evaluation skate invite sent day 2

When should a hockey academy market each program?

/A hockey academy year

Full recruiting calendar

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.

  1. Jan to Feb

    /Thinking about spring and next season

    Ads on for spring hockey and evaluation skates. Early push for next year's academy intake.

  2. Mar to Apr

    /Season ends. Spring hockey and tryouts.

    Tryout and evaluation funnels. Next-season academy registration push. Returning families get first pick.

  3. May to Jun

    /Spring programs running. Summer plans being made.

    Summer camp ads and pages. Early-bird for the fall academy intake. Testimonials collected.

  4. Jul to Aug

    /Summer skills and camps

    Camps fill and get filmed. Fall intake main push. Re-registration for current families.

  5. Sep to Oct

    /Regular season starts

    In-season development content. Winter break clinic pages go live.

  6. Nov to Dec

    /Mid-season. Holiday plans.

    Winter break camp and clinic push. Gift-a-program offer. Spring campaigns planned.

Young hockey players in coloured practice jerseys drilling in front of the net
Mar to Apr /tryouts and evaluation skates
Reel cover reading How scouts evaluate hockey IQ, with a young player in green
Youth hockey game with players in red and light blue battling for the puck
Sep to Oct /in-season footage
Teen athlete in a training shirt holding a puck up to camera
Jul to Aug /camps get filmed
Reel /Jan to Feb

The point: every row has a sales window. A lot of academies only market one or two of them.

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.

/Case study · reels, posts and ads, paid and organic

BC Prep: 400 leads in 6 months at under $7 a lead.

175+ camp sign-ups600K+ views across its reels, posts and ads
Read the BC Prep case study
BC Prep reel cover: girls at basketball training, titled 5 signs your child is ready for competitive basketball
BC Prep reel still: teen athlete in a Prep training shirt holding a puck to cameraReel

/More sports work

See all our sports work →
Urumi Athletics reel still: cricket bat and pads in close-up

Urumi Athletics

11.2K followers, off 20 posts

Mosaic Sports content: How scouts evaluate hockey IQ

Mosaic Sports

We built the brand and athlete management platform from scratch.

Is Coala the right fit for your academy?

/Fit check

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.

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.

Youth hockey players leaning over the boards watching their teammates
/Hockey How to market a hockey academy (and fill every intake) Read the guide →
Coach talking to a group of young soccer players at camp
/Camps How to fill a youth sports camp Read the guide →
Kids in helmets skating with sticks and pucks on a frozen lake below snowy mountains
/Hockey Hockey academy recruiting calendar Read the guide →

Hockey academy marketing questions?

/Curious about what we do

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.
Youth hockey players on the bench Young hockey player in a caged helmet Kids skating on a frozen lake Youth hockey players at the boards

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 →