United for Girls: DICK’S Fdn Invests $5 Million in Girls Soccer

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert; actor, director, and producer Katie Holmes; sports journalist Christine Brennan; and best-selling author and journalist Elaine Welteroth, among others, joined DICK’S Sporting Goods today to discuss the challenges and opportunities girls experience accessing sports and the impact sports and fitness have had on their lives

DICK’S announced its 2020 Women’s Initiative highlighted by The DICK’S Foundation’s $5 million grant to U.S. Soccer Foundation’s ‘United for Girls’ Initiative

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At its 2020 Women’s Initiative at the ‘Here for Her’ Summit, DICK’S Foundation announced a three-year $5 million grant to the U.S. Sports Foundation to support girls in soccer. (Stuart Ramson/AP Images for DICK’S Sporting Goods)

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, DICK’S Sporting Goods and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation hosted a Here for Her Summit in New York City, a focused and collective effort to champion women and girls in sports and fitness.

At the summit, a group of women spanning the sports industry including professional soccer player Sydney Leroux, legendary softball pitcher Jennie Finch, track and field Olympic Gold Medalist and CEO of Laureus USA Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, and Associate Vice President of Programs for the U.S. Soccer Foundation Sarah Pickens, were joined by Katie Holmes, Cathy Engelbert, Christine Brennan and Elaine Welteroth to share how sports and fitness have impacted their lives. The group also reacted to the retailer’s multifaceted 2020 Women’s Initiative.

“At DICK’S we believe at our core that sports matter. There are so many incredible benefits to playing sports, from building character, to learning how to win and lose, to increasing self-confidence,” said Lauren Hobart, President of DICK’S and The DICK’S Foundation. “It was very special to have so many empowering women at our ‘Here for Her’ Summit this morning. Today is a proud moment for our Company and the Foundation as we announced expanded offerings in-store and increase our support for young girls to play sports.”

To kickstart the Company’s 2020 Women’s Initiative, the following important announcements were made at today’s summit.

  • The DICK’S Foundation announced a three-year, $5 million Sports Matter grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s United for Girls initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for girls and young women to benefit from soccer. As the presenting partner of United for Girls, the DICK’S Foundation’s grant will be used to create safe places to play, fund coaching and training opportunities and support soccer programs in underserved communities across the country with the goal of engaging 100,000 girls by 2023.
  • The retailer also announced that they are the Official Sporting Goods Retailer of USA Softball. In addition to the multi-year partnership, DICK’S is the official merchandise vendor for the Stand Beside Her tour, which serves as the exhibition and training tour for the 2020 U.S. Women’s National Team ahead of competition this summer in Tokyo.
  • And finally, in its stores across the U.S., DICK’S is committed to working with its own private brands as well as its merchandising partners to deliver expanded assortment for her across several key sports including basketball, soccer, softball and dance, among others.

Since 2014, DICK’S and The DICK’S Foundation have pledged more than $100 million to support youth sports teams and leagues in need. The Sports Matter initiative strives to increase awareness for the growing issue of underfunded youth athletics nationwide and provide much-needed support through equipment, uniform and monetary donations. For more information on Sports Matter, visit SportsMatter.org.

About DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. 
Founded in 1948, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. is a leading omni-channel sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of authentic, high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. As of February 1, 2020, the Company operated 726 DICK’S Sporting Goods locations across the United States, serving and inspiring athletes and outdoor enthusiasts to achieve their personal best through a blend of dedicated teammates, in-store services and unique specialty shop-in-shops dedicated to Team Sports, Athletic Apparel, Golf, Lodge/Outdoor, Fitness and Footwear.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, DICK’S also owns and operates Golf Galaxy and Field & Stream specialty stores, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications and live scorekeeping.  DICK’S offers its products through a content-rich eCommerce platform that is integrated with its store network and provides customers with the convenience and expertise of a 24-hour storefront.  For more information, visit the Investor Relations page at dicks.com.

About The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation 
The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a mission to inspire and enable sports participation. It was created by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. as a private corporate foundation to support DICK’S charitable and philanthropic activities.

Author: Gender Equality Funding News

Philanthropy Women aggregates the most important gender equality funding news.

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