About Us
The Calgary Female Sport Development Association (CFSDA), formally the Fairview Women’s Hockey Arena Society (FWHAS) has a relatively short but successful history in arena operations in Calgary. CFSDA was incorporated as a not-for-profit in January 2008. Its membership consists of the Southern Alberta Women’s Hockey Association (SAWHA).
When awarded the Fairview Arena, a vision was identified for these organizations to partner in the delivery of arena services to the citizens of Calgary. Immediately, efforts began with identifying stakeholders and coming up with a plan of engagement and staffing the operation. In year two an ambitious capital development plan was put in place to update and improve the operations of the facility. In a short amount of time over 1.5 million dollars in capital upgrades, operational improvements and facility renovations were completed positioning the Fairview Arena as one of the most desirable arenas to play in with the City.
Up until the arena’s permanent closure in February of 2018 the Fairview Arena had established itself as the Home of SAWHA – Women’s Hockey. Despite the permanent closure of the Fairview Arena, CFSDA believes in the importance of providing places to play across the spectrum of the long-term athlete development model and values serving underrepresented groups within the City of Calgary.
Our Female Focus
CFSDA’s success is an incredible indicator of the growth of equality in our culture, and in sport. Every year our numbers continue to grow as more women, and girls, are gaining access to this important life experience. Sport isn’t just about Sport. Although recreation itself is important, it also serves as a metaphor for the things we value, and the lessons we want our young people to learn. Sport allows us the opportunity to learn how to work as a team. It promotes our development of a work ethic and nurtures effective time management. It teaches us to honour our commitments and assertively strive towards our goals. Sport builds community and further encourages healthy competition and athleticism for female athletes. Access enables programs to become the social networks that offer support, and our competitors challenge us to be better athletes.