Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap: November 27, 2023

Welcome to our Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap – a weekly feature on what’s been happening in the sport and physical activity world for girls and women in sport in Canada (and beyond)! In this edition, we learn more about Project 8’s “More Than A League” video series, a new round of upcoming in-person programs and events for girls interested in soccer or basketball in the Toronto, Ontario area, and survey results by Aggregate Sports that touches on fans feelings towards brand investments in women’s sports.

Project 8’s Video Series, “More Than A League,” Highlights the Journey to Bringing Professional Women’s Soccer to Canada

Project 8, the first Canadian women’s professional soccer league to begin play in 2025, released the first video of their multi-video series online. The first video is titled “A Vision for Change”. The first video of the series touches on the lack of paid opportunities for professional players, but also for coaches, referees, and medical staff within Canadian women’s soccer. 

Diana Matheson, former Canadian soccer player, 2-time Olympian, and co-founder of Project 8, emphasizes the importance “of having roots here (in Canada), instead of not having roots for a decade or two as we’re playing abroad.” From the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 30 other participating countries have a women’s soccer league. Matheson also shared perspectives on Canada and Haiti, the only two countries that do not currently have their own women’s soccer league.

The next portion of the 14-part video series is set to release on Monday, November 27. Videos are to be uploaded routinely until the end of February 2024. The video series can be viewed here.

New Upcoming Slate of Girls’ Soccer and Basketball Camps and Programs Made Available in Toronto, Ontario

Girls Addicted to Basketball (g.a.b) hosts “Active Women,” a weekly registered drop-in program for women 18 and older. Between November 2, 2023, and June 13, 2024, the program runs every Thursday. The program will take place at Senator O’Connor College School in Toronto, Ontario. The program is from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The cost to register is $5 per drop-in session for g.a.b members and $10 per drop-in session for non-members. To learn more about the program and to register, click here.

Jump Thru Hoops is hosting an “Empower Basketball Camp” event on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, 2023. WNBA player and 3-time Olympian Natalie Achonwa will be a special guest in attendance. The camp will take place at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport in Toronto, Ontario. The camp is from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The cost to register for the two-day camp is $199. To learn more about the camp and to register, click here.

NUTMEG Soccer is hosting both an all-girls and an all-genders drop-in winter soccer program free of cost. The drop-in programs begin in January 2024 and run until April 2024. The program is available for girls between 6-12 years old. The all-girls program will take place at Charles G. Fraser Jr. Public School in Toronto, Ontario. The all-gender program will take place at Kensington Community School in Toronto, Ontario. The hours of both programs are 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. To learn more about the programs and to register, click here or contact info@nutmegsoccer.org. 

The Numbers Don’t Lie. Consumers Confirm That More Brand Investment is Not Only Wanted and Needed in Women’s Sports

A survey done by Aggregate Sports gathered data confirming that women’s sports fans are hungry to see brands adjust and increase their investment in women’s sports. 

The following statistics were gathered during a survey of 1,000 people considered casual or avid sports fans between the ages of 18 and 65.

• 77% of fans believe that brands should increase their sponsorship of women’s sports
• 74% of fans would like to see an equal balance of support between women’s and men’s sports
• 71% of fans are confident that there will continue to be a rise in women’s sports momentum and popularity over the next coming years
• 62% of fans feel positively about brands that do show support and sponsorship in women’s sports
• 58% of fans feel that brands should gear sponsorship more towards the Olympic women’s sports instead of women’s professional sports leagues

To learn more about the Aggregate Sports survey and its data, click here.

Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap are written by Kaitlyn Lehbert, a passionate and driven sport advocate for girls and women. Kaitlyn holds her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Brock University. Learn more about Kaitlyn by clicking here!

Have a sport story you want to share? Contact info@fastandfemale.com and it may get featured in Kaitlyn’s next feature.