CityNews spoke with the Edmonton Stingers’ newest owners in a one-on-one interview Thursday about what it means to be a part of the team. They say giving back to the community is top of mind for goals they would like to achieve.
“We are excited to not only bring South Asians, but everyone to the Stingers fan base,” said Manjit Minhas, co-owner of the Edmonton Stingers.
Staring on the Canadian show Dragons Den, Minhas is used to the spotlight. But she says being the first female owner in the league is an accomplishment meant to inspire little girls all over canada.
“You know it’s inspiring to me when other women get involved not only in sports, but things that are traditionally male-dominated and so I have two young girls, I hope I’m inspiring them and many other girls to be involved in anything they’re passionate about,” she explained.
The Edmonton Stingers weren’t the first sports franchise that the siblings looked at being part of. Over the past few years, the duo had an interest in purchasing the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League, and most recently, another sports franchise in the city also approached them about a possible ownership — the Edmonton Elks.
“Actually, funny enough they had reached out to us a number of months ago and last year as well in some looser conversations with more sponsorship than ownership. But this was the perfect fit for us,” explained Ravinder Minhas, co-owner of the Edmonton Stingers.
Both owners say when it comes to the basketball operations, they will take a step back. As for community relations and initiatives to involve the community, they say the organization has already laid the groundwork for success and they are hoping to continue that for years to come.
“The Edmonton Stingers does a great job of involving all communities. Last year, we were the first to do a Southeast Asian night, Filipino night, a variety of Indigenous nights, and it’s nice to see teams like the Oilers and Flames have done it this year also,” said Manjit Minhas.