Canadian Tire shares results of Women’s Sports Initiative after one year

The GIST: Canadian Tire (CTC) is leveraging its unparalleled brand power to become a changemaker in Canadian women’s sports sponsorship. CTC’s AVP of Community Impact & Sport Partnerships Ashley Curran recently spoke with The GIST about the company’s efforts to transform the women’s sports landscape in Canada through its Women’s Sport Initiative. Investing in the right companies.

The company: CTC is one of Canada’s largest retailers, and its namesake automotive and sporting goods store, Canadian Tire, is "where most Canadians buy their first bike or pair of skates,” Curran explained, adding that this was almost certainly the case for Canadian PWHL players.

The initiative: The Women’s Sport Initiative will channel at least 50% of CTC’s sponsorship dollars toward pro women’s sports by 2026. Inspired by Ally, CTC became the first Canadian company to make such a commitment when it announced the initiative last March.

The partnerships: The sports retailer was primed for a PWHL partnership — after past ties with the PWHPA and PHF, Curran said CTC wanted to be “one of the first phone calls” if the leagues merged. When they did, the company became the first sponsor and a founding partner of the PWHL, which led to brand affinity that’s “through the roof” among fans, according to Curran.

• CTC is also a founding partner of Project 8, the Canadian pro women’s soccer league set to kick off in 2025. It helps to be an early adopter of new leagues for a multitude of reasons, from encouraging other sponsors to sign on to banking brand loyalty with fans.

• The company would also likely jump at the chance to sponsor a Canadian WNBA team and is already supporting the second W preseason game in Canada. Curran said soccer and basketball are big categories for CTC’s business: Participation growth is high, and it lets them diversify their sponsorship portfolio. Ball so hard.