Canadian Tire putting half of sponsorship cash to women’s professional sport by 2026
Just in time for International Women’s Day, Canadian Tire aims to put half of its sponsorship dollars into professional women’s sports by 2026.
The company says its new initiative will help pave the way for equal opportunity in women’s sport and inspire a new generation.
“Canadian Tire Corporation is proud of our longstanding commitment to gender equality and inclusion in sport, from the playground to the podium and now with the introduction of our women’s sport initiative into the pro arena. Paving the way for more equal opportunity in women’s professional sport and inspiring a new generation of female athletes is part of our efforts to strengthen our communities and live our brand purpose: We Are Here to Make Life in Canada Better,” said Susan O’Brien , Chief Brand and Customer Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation.
This will add five new sports sponsors to its roster.
-Founding partner of Project 8, Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league due to start in 2025 and led by Diana Matheson, former Olympian and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project 8 Sports
– Supporting partner of the WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine, the first-ever WNBA preseason game to be hosted in Canada, taking place on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Scotiabank Arena
– First national partner of Canadian Women & Sport’s commercial women’s sport initiative to support funding of valuable research demonstrating the business case for continued investment in professional women’s sport in Canada
-Corporate partner of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Future of Sport Lab, which directs funds to support the next generation of women leaders in sport innovation
-Presenting partner of the inaugural espnW Summit Canada, bringing together industry leaders and sport innovators, to be held Friday, May 12, 2023 in Toronto
“Every child in Canada dreams of playing the sport they love at the highest level, but unfortunately those opportunities are different for boys than for girls,” said Diana Matheson, former Olympian and founder and chief executive officer of Project 8 Sports. “That’s why Project 8 was created and initiatives like Canadian Tire’s are so important. Together we can help more girls achieve their dreams of playing sport at a professional level and on home turf. The future is bright and we are just getting started.”
The multi-million dollar investment also includes a media fund to increase viewership of women’s sports across broadcast, digital and social platforms.
Today’s announcement expands on CTC’s existing partnerships committed to inclusion and diversity in esports, including the Hockey Diversity Alliance, the Carnegie Initiative, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, the Toronto 6ix, the Montreal Force, Hayley Wickenheiser’s Wickfest, the Canadian Women’s National Para Hockey Team and ongoing support of the Canadian team’s players through the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Canada Games, as well as providing donations to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities’ Girls-in-Sport initiatives, who support over 200,000 girls every year.
Visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca for more information.