{"id":604033,"date":"2026-04-13T12:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604033\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T12:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:06:09","slug":"nhls-industry-growth-fund-now-fueling-teams-tech-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604033\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL\u2019s Industry Growth Fund now fueling teams’ tech innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even after three decades with an NHL team, Anaheim Ducks CMO Merit Tully still views Orange County as an emerging hockey market in which fan acquisition requires a stronger push than in the sport\u2019s traditional hotbeds. It\u2019s exactly the type of challenge the NHL\u2019s Industry Growth Fund was designed to address.<\/p>\n

The IGF was introduced in the collective-bargaining agreement signed by the NHL and NHLPA in 2013 with the stated purpose of helping \u201clower-grossing clubs that may need supplemental support to allow them to make long-term improvements in their revenue generating potential and operational efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the program\u2019s broad mandate has always allowed a range of uses, early IGF-backed projects largely focused on increasing youth participation. That is beginning to change, as teams such as the Ducks tap the fund for a broader range of fan engagement and marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you look at the IGF, I think the league has looked at alternative ways to have people become fans of the sport,\u201d Tully said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t just have to be with a stick in hand or a stick and ball outside. There are other ways that people can find passion for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

This season, the team has rolled out an augmented reality activation allowing visitors to its skating rinks and community events to pose virtually for photos with Ducks players or the team\u2019s recognizable mascot, Wild Wing.<\/p>\n

Users stand in front of a unit with a large touchscreen and 4K camera, which the Ducks purchased from Baltimore-based Balti Virtual along with a two-year software license. They then enter their email address and phone number to receive their image, adding them to the team\u2019s marketing database.<\/p>\n

Since its introduction, the NHL and NHLPA have jointly distributed more than $240 million through the Industry Growth Fund. Funding was initially set at $20 million per year and has since increased to $30 million, with all 32 clubs contributing equally to the fund.<\/p>\n

Grants are administered by a committee representing both sides. Teams can apply for up to three IGF grants during each two-year funding cycle, with projects from lower-revenue clubs mostly receiving priority. Individual grants generally range from $200,000 to $1 million, depending on a club\u2019s revenue tier, the project\u2019s potential to generate revenue or bolster brand value, and whether it can be scaled across other teams.<\/p>\n

As of 2023, 58% of that total had been allocated to club-level projects, with the remainder supporting leaguewide initiatives such as learn-to-play programs, STEM education and women\u2019s hockey.<\/p>\n

Of the funding awarded to clubs, roughly 11% has been used for marketing initiatives involving mobile vehicles \u2014 such as gaming trucks \u2014 and digital apps. Rob Knesaurek, who serves as the NHL\u2019s senior vice president for hockey development and industry growth, said the use of IGF grants for such efforts has emerged and surged within the past five years as the league and union expand their view of how the fund can be used.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of going and only talking to the youth programmer or the community person at a club, we started going into the marketing department, we went to the CMOs, we went to ticketing, we went to the president saying, \u2018This IGF capital is to grow the game, and that\u2019s how we want it to be utilized,\u2019\u201d Knesaurek said.<\/p>\n

The Ducks\u2019 AR activation is just one tech-forward project supported by the IGF in recent years.<\/p>\n

The New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets have used grants to launch esports programs. The Buffalo Sabres have implemented new arena entry technology. The Winnipeg Jets received one of the fund\u2019s larger allocations to develop a mobile app centralizing team news, ticketing and a rewards program that Knesaurek said is now generating significant sponsorship revenue.<\/p>\n

Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHLPA, said the program has \u201cevolved into something bigger than the initial beginnings of it,\u201d while stressing that its commitment to community and participation-based initiatives remains unchanged.<\/p>\n

Just last week, for example, the fund allocated $2.5 million for the construction of a clubhouse for the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens that will feature a dedicated hockey space, as well as an undisclosed amount to the Philadelphia Flyers for a program in local public schools to support students\u2019 physical well-being through in-class activity.<\/p>\n

The league and union are now reviewing applications from clubs for the program\u2019s sixth two-year cycle, and Knesaurek said teams are leaning further into innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen things that are new to us that require us to go a little bit deeper and explore,\u201d Knesaurek said. \u201cGenerally, the IGF is seeding capital for these new ideas. We\u2019re encouraging them to bring these new ideas to light. It\u2019s test capital, so if it works in one market, we can then expand it amongst other interested groups in the league.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Ducks’ new augmented reality activation allows visitors to pose virtually for photos with Ducks players or the team\u2019s mascot. Anaheim Ducks <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even after three decades with an NHL team, Anaheim Ducks CMO Merit Tully still views Orange County as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,3915,575,48702,85,65363],"class_list":{"0":"post-604033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-print","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-upfront"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}