Company commits 50% of its sponsorship spend on
women's professional sports
TORONTO, March 6,
2023 /CNW/ - Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) today
announced its new Women's Sport Initiative (WSI), a
multi-million-dollar investment, earmarking a minimum 50% of its
sponsorship dollars towards women's professional sport by 2026. The
WSI also includes a dedicated media fund to increase the visibility
of women's sport across top broadcast, digital and social
platforms, all which will further support a new era of growth and
opportunity.
"Canadian Tire Corporation is proud of our longstanding
commitment to gender equity and inclusion in sport, from the
playground to the podium and now, to the professional arena with
the introduction of our Women's Sport Initiative. Helping to pave
the way for more equitable opportunities in women's professional
sport and inspire a new generation of female athletes is part of
how we are bolstering our communities and living our brand purpose:
We Are Here to Make Life in Canada
Better," said Susan O'Brien, Chief
Brand and Customer Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation.
The Women's Sport Initiative includes adding five new sport
partnerships to its growing roster:
- Founding Partner of Project 8, Canada's first women's professional soccer
league slated to launch in 2025 and led by Diana Matheson, Former Olympian and Founder and
Chief Executive Officer, Project 8 Sports
- Supporting Partner of the WNBA Canada Game presented by
Tangerine the first-ever pre-season WNBA game to be played in
Canada, which will take place
at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, May 13,
2023
- Premier National Partner of Canadian Women & Sport's
Commercial Women's Sport Initiative to help fund valuable
research demonstrating the business case for further investment in
women's professional sport in Canada
- Corporate Partner of the Toronto Metropolitan University's Future of
Sport Lab directing funds to support the next generation of
female leaders in sport innovation
- Presenting Partner of the first espnW Summit Canada,
bringing together industry leaders and trailblazers in
sport, which will take place on Friday,
May 12, 2023, in Toronto
"Forthcoming research will show that Canada can support a thriving commercial
women's sport marketplace, and we are proud to see a historic
company like Canadian Tire Corporation stepping up to make
meaningful commitments to invest in the space," said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of Canadian Women
& Sport. "When we invest in gender equity, we make sport better
for all."
"Every kid in Canada dreams of
playing the sport they love to the highest level but unfortunately
those opportunities differ for boys versus girls," said
Diana Matheson, Former Olympian and
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Project 8 Sports. "That's why
Project 8 was created and why initiatives like this one from
Canadian Tire are so important. Together we can help more girls
achieve their dreams of playing sports at the professional level
and on home turf. The future is bright, and we're just getting
started."
Today's announcement amplifies CTC's existing partnerships
dedicated to driving inclusion and diversity in sport 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 female
Team Canada players via the Canadian Olympic Committee, the
Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Canada Games as well as providing fundraising
support for Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities' Girls in Sport
initiatives which support over 200,000 girls annually.
ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION
Canadian Tire
Corporation, Limited, (TSX: CTC.A) (TSX: CTC) or "CTC", is a group
of companies that includes a Retail segment, a Financial Services
division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire,
which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for
life in Canada across its Living,
Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal & Gardening divisions.
Party City, PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire
network. The Retail segment also includes Mark's, a leading source
for casual and industrial wear; Pro Hockey Life, a hockey specialty
store catering to elite players; and SportChek, Hockey Experts,
Sports Experts and Atmosphere, which offer the best active wear
brands. The more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are
supported and strengthened by CTC's Financial Services division and
the tens of thousands of people employed across Canada and around the world by CTC and its
local dealers, franchisees and petroleum retailers. In addition,
CTC owns and operates Helly Hansen, a leading technical outdoor
brand based in Oslo, Norway. For
more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
mediainquiries@cantire.com
416-480-8453
SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED