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DCF Kids

 The DCF Kids programme was originally known as "Doug's kids" and was created in the 2008-09 season when Doug MacIver joined the club. Together with his huge presence on the ice, Doug brought a determination to help young people in South Wales and be a positive role model that made a real impact in the lives of those he worked with. The spirit of Doug continues in the soon to be re-launched "DCF Kids" initiative. As the nominated, main charity of the Cardiff Devils, the DCF will be inviting young people who may not otherwise make it to a game to come and experience Hockey night in Cardiff.

This is a great way for the DCF to perform a rewarding service and continue the tradition of big Doug.

Read Doug's story or click HERE to see some of the families who have come along to Devils games as part of the Doug's Kids initiative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Doug's Story
 
 
When Doug MacIver signed for the Cardiff Devils, he didn’t   just bring with him a desire to play great hockey for the team, he also wanted to use his position as a professional sportsman to help the wider community. 
 
Hearing about the Devils commitment to the community and to charities in South Wales through the work of the Devils Community Foundation (DCF), Doug contacted the club to ask if they would be interested in helping him with a charity initiative of his own this season. 
 
 
 
 
 
  
"When I played Junior Hockey in the Ontario Hockey League in Canada I was approached by the St. Claire group who did the marketing for the entire Canadian Hockey League.   The group receive 8 season tickets from every team in the country to distribute, my father did some business with them through his work and so I got to know them." 
 
"They contacted me and asked if I would like 2 season tickets to give to my family or friends. I decided that I would get in touch with a charity called the Child Development Centre and through our PR manager on the team we gave them the season tickets and asked them to distribute the tickets to under-privileged children or children with additional needs, to give them the opportunity to enjoy the game." 
 
"Every week a family would come down to the watch the game and I would meet them afterwards to answer their questions and have photographs taken with them. 
 
The first year was pretty successful, so in the second year my coach and general manager offered to give me two more season tickets, making four in total so that the whole family could come down and watch a game together without having to pay for extra seats. This went on for three years that I played there and was really successful."  
 
"We had different families to the game each week so I got to know quite a number of them. Some of the families came back and I got to see them again and see how they were growing up. A lot of the children had autism and really thrived in the noisy, interesting atmosphere in the rink and wanted to come to every game. In fact, by the second year, the Children’s Development Centre started to run out of different families to give the tickets to as so many of them had bought season tickets and were coming back week after week. Soon, instead of visiting just one family after the game I was visiting three or four and I really enjoyed getting to know the children so well."
 
"When I left the OHL and started playing hockey professionally I tried with a couple of different teams to set up a similar initiative, but with suffering injuries and getting traded it was hard to get anything started properly. Last year when I played in Holland it was too difficult to do anything because of the language barrier. 
 
As soon as I heard what a great club the Devils were and what a great City I was going to be playing in, I contacted the club and asked if they would help me with setting up a scheme here and they were as excited as I was about it. The management here are so keen to get involved in the community and this fits in so well with the charities that the DCF are involved with."
 
 
"I have always known that I am blessed and fortunate to do what I do for a living. If, by taking a couple of minutes out of my day I can help to make someone else’s day then I am definitely very happy to do that. I don’t think that I’m very special but if somebody else thinks I am then I’m happy what I can help them and spend time with them."
 
"Although Doug’s Kids is something that I am heading up this season, it is still very much a Devils initiative and I know that whatever happens with my playing career that the Devils will keep the scheme running and another player will come along and fill my role.
 
Doing this is such a small thing but I hope that it will make a big difference to people. I am really keen to help the community in any way that I can, our community and our supporters are really important to us all as a team, it is nice to be able to do something to pay that back whenever I can. "
 
"I am really looking forward to the first family coming to the game this Wednesday. I hope that we can turn things around on the ice and give them a win, we’ll do all we can to make the game entertaining and exciting. It will be nice to meet the family after the game, this is something special that I get to do and I am really pleased to be able to share that with the community."
 

 

  

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