Female hockey players in Okotoks will continue to play a high level of hockey close to home.

Hockey Alberta is developing a female hockey model with Grassroots programming where Elite and Midget AAA levels could lead into Team Alberta's high performance programs.

The first step in implementing the model was selecting six communities to host Midget AAA franchises which includes Okotoks, Calgary, Red Deer, St. Albert, Edmonton, and Lloydminster.

Brad Lyon, senior manager of communications with Hockey Alberta, says one of the main goals with the hockey model is to create long-term player development.

"Our female players have every opportunity to learn the skills and have the chance to succeed and progress, first to the level that they're capable of and second to the level that they aspire to," he says. "Our goal is to create a system where whatever the individual player is looking for we'll hopefully be able to provide it."

The new female hockey model developed by Hockey Alberta shows progression through the system.

Lyon adds the female hockey model hopes to offer ways for players to carry hockey on throughout their lives.

"One of the key phrases at Hockey Alberta is 'hockey for life' and we want to get players involved at as young an age as possible or at any age, but once we get them involved we want them to stay, whether that's as a player or to graduate to be a coach or an administrator, that's a key part of all this."

Lyon says Hockey Alberta's Board of Directors hope to see the female hockey model in place for the 2016-17 season.

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