Nike wants to keep more girls playing sports

Research has identified that girls are dropping out of playing sports at “alarming rates” with many doing so when they reach the age of puberty. Nike has decided to launch a program to promote more careers in this category. The focus will be on how to coach girls and keep them motivated to play sports. The athletic wear maker is particularly focused on increasing the number of women who coach girls’ sports.

Nike Sports Commitment to Female Coaches

According to CNBC, the main data statistic that has been identified by Aspen Institute’s Project Play is that women do not have nearly as many coaching opportunities as men. Additionally, approximately 75% of all youth coaches in sports are men.

To help combat this, Nike’s program Coaching HER was launched in partnership with the University of Minnesota to help further not only a void for female coaches but also to help the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. 

This focus will attempt to balance and level the playing field with more inclusion and diversity. To help achieve this, Nike has committed to trying to train at least 20,000 new female coaches. Continuing this trend, a perfect example is how the CVS brand expanded its pharmacy with the CVS y mas line of stores.

Furthermore, data shows that a vast majority of girls quit sports when starting puberty. Experts theorize that a lack of female mentors and strong female leaders in the sports world also contributes to this factor. The goal is to allow both naturally athletic and non-athletic girls to have a safe space to explore their relationship with sports while under the guidance of a female coach who can fully understand and encourage them.