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Canadian Tire putting half of sponsorship cash to women’s professional sport by 2026

By Staff Mar 8, 2023 | 1:09 PM

Just in time for International Women’s Day, Canadian Tire is to put half of it’s sponsorship dollars to women’s professional sports by 2026.

The company says their new initiative will help pave the way for equal opportunity in women’s sports and inspire a new generation.

“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.

With it, it will add five new sport sponsors to it’s 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

“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.”

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 amplifies CTC’s existing partnerships, dedicated to 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.

For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.