As Kacey Bellamy reached the end of her playing career, she knew she wanted to stay involved in women’s hockey. So when the chance came to work for the Premier Hockey Federation, it was too good for her to pass up.

The former U.S. women’s national team player and three-time Olympic medalist joined the PHF as a scout and player relations liaison in May.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to continue to help grow women’s hockey at a professional level,” Bellamy told Just Women’s Sports.

As an added bonus, she once again gets to work with Reagan Carey, who was named PHF commissioner in April.

Carey and Bellamy are no strangers to one another. Carey served as USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey from 2010-18, helping the team to an Olympic silver medal in Sochi in 2014 and a gold medal in PyeongChang in 2018. Bellamy played for both those teams.

“I wanted to jump on board because I know that [Carey] is one hundred percent fully invested in trying to make this the league to be in and she’s not gonna stop until she gets there,” Bellamy said. “I saw what she did with the national team from 2010 to 2018 to get to the end goal of winning a gold medal, and that was just setting expectations, holding people accountable, building this culture of, we’re not gonna expect anything less than giving it a 100 percent.”

Carey sees that same drive in Bellamy, and she looks for it in all her hires. Take Melody Davidson, whom Carey brought on as the director of hockey operations in May, as an example. A former head coach and general manager for the Canada women’s national team, Davidson helped the team win four straight gold medals, including in 2014 against Carey’s Team USA.

“There’s a lot to be said for people that go out and get it done and win,” Carey told Just Women’s Sports in early June.

We’ve got a tall order, but we’re out there doing it.

The Premier Hockey Federation aims to be just what its name says: a premier destination for professional hockey. The league is positioning itself as such after a decade of explosive growth and change in the women’s game.

The PHF entered the scene in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, and despite early clashes with the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League and some recent turmoil at the team level, the league is cementing itself as an option for athletes to continue their careers after college.

Bellamy will help athletes navigate that journey. In her role for the PHF, she’ll be tasked with establishing relationships with college players and coaches and ensuring open lines of communication between players and the league.

In 2017, the U.S. women’s hockey team was one of the first national teams across sports to begin the fight for equal pay. Having found herself in the middle of that fight, Bellamy understands the importance of her role as a player liaison.

“It’s so important to have someone that you trust and that you can talk to, not just someone in the league, but someone who’s been through several Olympics, fighting for equality and all the things that we’ve experienced as a group,” Bellamy said.

She wants “to give my advice in any way, shape or form that I can to help these girls feel confident and comfortable and help them in their decision to hopefully join the league,” she continued.

Increased player salaries should help Bellamy make her case to prospective athletes.

In February, the PHF’s Board of Governors announced a $25 million investment. As a result ,the salary cap for the six-team league has increased to $750,000 per team for the upcoming season.

Mikyla Grant-Mentis is one of those players reaping the benefits of the investment. Her one-year, $80,000 deal with the Buffalo Beauts makes her the highest-paid women’s professional hockey player.

As other players negotiate salaries, transparency will be key. The salary cap floor is $562,500 for the upcoming season, and the minimum salary for players is $13,500.

While the league does not publicly disclose salaries, there is an unofficial spreadsheet circulating that details player’s salaries, compiled by The Ice Garden’s Mike Murphy.

At the same time, the league and players’ association are holding discussions and paying special attention to players’ voices.

“Everyone appears to be on the same page,” PHFPA executive director Nicole Corriero told NBC’s Alex Azzi in a statement. “We acknowledge the benefits to having such disclosure take place, including empowerment, transparency and accountability. We also appreciate that each player’s individual circumstances are different and want to ensure we respect their ability to opt out if that is their preference.”

At the league level, Carey acknowledges that, while they’re moving in the right direction to get player’s salaries to where they want them to be, there’s more work to be done.

“Until we get further down the line in this process, we’re going to be very mindful of the players that aren’t at the top of that salary grouping so that we can ensure that their experience is just as great in other ways,” Carey said. “We’ve got a tall order, but we’re out there doing it and making it happen with the intent on improving upon it every season.”

I think the sky’s the limit for this league.

Meanwhile, a competitor also has been gaining steam. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is preparing to form its own six-team league and debut in January 2023.

Carey, though, isn’t worried about the PHF’s position. In fact, she respects the PWHPA for trying to grow the game.

“Anybody that is supporting the growth of women’s hockey, regardless of the jersey and logo they’re wearing on the front of their jersey, they’re a teammate in my eyes,” she said. “They’re doing what they can to grow the sport and in ways that they feel is best.

“There’s nothing but a positive and respectful lens on that, from my standpoint.”

Carey likens the relationship between the PHF and the PWHPA to that of the relationship between the U.S. and Canada national teams. While fans have seen the rivalry come to fruition on the ice, there’s also been collaboration behind the scenes in efforts to lift women’s hockey to its current status.

“It’s a great rivalry, but at the same time in order to grow the game and to support the sport, we had to work together to make sure that we were creating opportunities to grow our sport,” Carey said of her time with Team USA.

No matter how the PWHPA’s plans shake out, Carey said she hopes the relationship between the PHF and the PWHPA will still allow the organizations to support one another and collaborate in some way.

Several players have made the jump from the PWHPA to the PHF this offseason, including Brittany Howard and U.S. Olympian Amanda Pelkey. The PHF remains committed to not only signing high-profile players, but building them up as well.

“I think right now we’re at a great position of starting to be able to bring in some big names because I really believe in the structure of this,” Bellamy said. “I think the sky’s the limit for this league.”

Emma Hruby is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"