Women's Sports Foundation

Announcing our 2024 Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching Fellows! 🎉🌟 🤼♀️Erin Golston – Assistant Women's Wrestling Coach, Texas Woman's University 🥍Leila Kouakou – Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach, Howard University 🏈Sara Manganelli – Football Sport Science and Sport Performance Assistant Coach, The College of Holy Cross 🏐Madilyn McCarty – Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach, University of North Florida 🏑Sydney Metz – Assistant Field Hockey Coach, Eastern Mennonite University 👟Kyria Moore – Assistant Track & Field Coach, Adelphi University 🏀Essance Porter – Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Central College ⚽Erin Thompson – Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator Women's Soccer, Clark University Inspired by legendary Stanford University women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, this Fund honors her extraordinary legacy by providing fellowships for aspiring women coaches in all collegiate sports, providing opportunities for women coaches to excel and become leaders.💪 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gskNjtTE #KeepCoaching #PlayToLead

ONE OF ONE. Billie Jean King will become the FIRST individual woman athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal! 🎉 Thanks to the leadership of Representatives Fitzpatrick, Sherrill, and Malliotakis and Senators Gillibrand, Capito, and Sinema, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the bill yesterday, with the Senate already passing it in March. The bill is now on its way to the president's desk. WSF was proud to join in a collaborative effort with our partners (USTA) United States Tennis Association, and YOU, to achieve our goal to #GetBJKTheGold. 👏 The Congressional Gold Medal recognizes achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions that have a lasting effect in the recipient’s field. And we cannot think of anyone more deserving than WSF Founder Billie Jean King. ❤️💫

#TakeActionTuesday: Happy #HispanicHeritageMonth! The upcoming weeks are a time to celebrate the rich history, culture and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities in everyday life and, of course, sports. We have seen incredible achievements from Hispanic women athletes and leaders such as Diana Flores, a renowned flag football player; Gloria Nevarez, a 27-year executive level veteran of intercollegiate athletics; and Laurie Hernandez, an Olympic gold and silver medalist in gymnastics. To see more leaders like them, we must ensure Hispanic and Latinx girls have equal access to sports. Unfortunately, our research “Communities at the Forefront: Elevating Girls’ Sports Through Local Programs” shows that many Hispanic and Latinx girls start sports later and drop out earlier due to unsafe environments, lack of facilities, and limited transportation. Sports offer immense benefits including increased confidence, better health, improved academic performance, and higher graduation rates. Role models like Flores, Nevarez, and Hernandez play an important role in motivating and empowering the next generation. By addressing barriers and increasing representation, we can help all girls thrive. #TheEquityProject Your Turn:  1. Advocate for increased funding and resources for sports programs in underserved communities and engage with local officials to ensure that all girls have equal access to sports facilities and programs.  2. Celebrate and amplify the achievements of Hispanic and Latinx women in sports by following them on social media, sharing their stories, and attending their games if possible.   3. Volunteer your time and skills by coaching in schools with limited resources to help support and inspire young athletes to reach their full potential in sports. 

Youth sports fuel women's leadership! 🏐🏒🥎 Our #PlayToLead study shows the powerful connection between playing youth sports and leadership, yet barriers to participation persist. The report revealed that 70% of women faced barriers that limited their ability to continue or compete fully 😱 reporting family finances, low parental engagement, lack of opportunities to participate and injury/health concerns as prevalent barriers to #KeepPlaying. Additionally, girls of color, LGBTQ+ youth and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face even greater barriers. Join us in our call for everyone throughout society to invest in girls’ youth sports programs! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gNPZ8gFQ

This past weekend, WSF hosted an Athlete Ambassador Program (AAP) event in partnership with National Partner Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. The event invited girls from Atlanta Heights Charter School to join us for a variety of basketball skills and drills led by Georgia Tech women’s basketball, as well as flag football with Atlanta Storm Women's Flag. Additionally, the day featured a panel conversation featuring Owner of the Atlanta Storm Donni Coley, Delta Air Lines Director of Sponsorships Quinnie Jenkins and Georgia Tech student-athletes Kara Dunn and Gabbie Grooms to discuss the importance of youth sport participation. The event highlighted Delta’s and WSF’s commitment to supporting girls’ sports and youth development. 💪Talk about a great day! Thank you to everyone who came and joined us. 🏀🏈👏 #KeepPlaying #KeepServing 📸: Rank Studios

The Women’s Sports Foundation and NBC Sports Group are now accepting applications for our 2024-25 Student-Athlete Mentoring Program!    This initiative is designed to help student-athletes translate the valuable skills they have acquired through participation in collegiate athletics into successful careers.    Join an elite group of student-athletes from colleges and universities across the country, and leaders from across NBC Sports Group’s business functions for monthly online sessions that will take place between November and April to learn how to optimize your career development opportunities.    To learn more and apply, please register or log on to FoundantGLM to access the online grant application: https://lnkd.in/gTYz7nUg

The countdown is ON! 🏅✨ With just over 50 days to go until the TCS NYC Marathon, WSF is excited to introduce you to more of our inspiring runners on #TeamWSF! Ana, Kellie, Olivia, and Taryn are not only training hard to conquer 26.2 miles this November, but they are also passionately fundraising on behalf of WSF. From sunrise training sessions to late-night strategy Zoom calls, our runners are going the extra mile to cross the finish line and bring us closer to achieving gender equity in sports. 🗽❤️ Let’s show Team WSF the love and support they deserve as they prepare to take on this iconic marathon. Every share, every word of encouragement, every donation helps amplify our mission and the girls and women we serve. Learn more and support: https://lnkd.in/gKqUEAaN #TCSNYCMarathon #NYCMarathon #KeepRunning #nyrr #running #marathon #NYC

As we continue to celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Women’s Sports Foundation is thrilled to announce the release of a breakthrough study revealing the profound, cross generational impact youth sport participation has had on women’s leadership development. Titled "Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women's Leadership," the report is the first of its kind to survey seven generations of women in their 20’s, 30’s, and up to 80’s, exploring the effects of policy-driven changes, most notably the passage of Title IX in 1972, and dives into the barriers that have impeded full and sustained sport participation across the decades. #PlayToLead is the latest proof point – and a call to action for all to prioritize youth sport participation – that the skills, traits and experiences girls learn through the transformative power of sport, have the ability to build a vibrant leadership pipeline that benefits society and bolsters the economy. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/giEkESzw

Introducing our 2024 Travel & Training Fund grant recipients, made possible by the generous support of our National Partner, Michelob ULTRA! 🎉 The Fund provides financial support to women athletes with the potential to be elite, to help them continue their pursuits to achieve even higher performance levels and rankings. For the 2024 cycle, we have granted a total of $100,000 across 26 individual athletes and 1 team, representing 19 different sports. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gNFfdQ_B #PlaytoLead

Today we join in celebrating #WorldCharityDay! 50 years ago, WSF was founded by sports icon and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King as one of the first organizations to recognize the role of sports in helping girls and women achieve their full potential. What was started by King in 1974 with a $5,000 check, has grown into a multifaceted organization that has invested over $100 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead – in sports and beyond – without barriers. All it takes is one voice, one leader, one check to change the game. Will you join us? https://lnkd.in/gs9y2B6f #WSF50 #PlaytoLead