Just doing it

The GIST: Basketball nonprofit PeacePlayers is hosting its first-ever, in-person Girls Summit event in NYC this weekend. Big brand stars are showing up to support girls in sports during the event, which is a meaningful investment in community and brand equity. Never shine if you don’t glow.

PeacePlayers: Founded in 2000 to create global safe spaces for kids through basketball, the organization has hosted clinics in regions like South Africa and Northern Ireland, according to co-executive director Sally Nnamani. In 2017, Nike partnered with PeacePlayers to bring its program to five major U.S. cities: NYC, Baltimore, Detroit, LA, and Chicago.

The sponsors: Aside from presenting partner Nike, which has been essential to the stateside growth of PeacePlayers, the two-day summit features prominent sponsors of women and girls in sports such as the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, WSLAM, the NY Liberty, MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Sports Business Ventures, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

• Each sponsor is offering distinct activations that align with its brand: Basketball magazine WSLAM is hosting a media event, Nike is running a “Body Confidence” training workshop, and NY Liberty players will lead a basketball tournament for the kids.

• Nike is also hosting Girls Summit’s activations at its NYC headquarters, as well as connecting participants with Nike employees for career development. Just doing it.

Zooming out: Events like this give like-minded brands an opportunity to have an immersive impact on girls’ sports by furthering charitable initiatives IRL. Supporting women’s sports — including community and grassroots initiatives like this — has been proven to win over younger consumers, creating a “halo effect” for dedicated sponsors in the space. Everything we need and more.

The GIST: Women’s sports heavy-hitter Ally announced its latest major partnership yesterday, becoming the official retail banking partner of The Soccer Tournament (TST). Expanding on its previous investment in TST’s inaugural tournament last year, the new sponsorship brings Ally another step closer to reaching its 50/50 Pledge by the end of 2027. Literally goals.

The Soccer Tournament: The 7-on-7 soccer tournament was first hosted in Cary, North Carolina, in June 2023 and featured 31 men’s teams (and one women’s team) battling for a $1M grand prize. In December, TST announced it was expanding its men’s tournament to 48 teams and creating an 8-team women’s tournament for a separate $1M prize.

The details: Like last year, Ally will sponsor former USWNTer Heather O’Reilly and her TST team US Women, which was previously comprised of past USWNT members. Ally's logo will grace the front of the team’s kits and the bank will host a meet-and-greet with the team in Cary, further expanding the bank’s North Carolina footprint.

• US Women won’t be the only Ally-supported women’s team in this year’s tournament: TST will be the first tour stop for the 2024 Wrex Coast Tour, the American soccer event for Wrexham AFC Women that is also sponsored by Ally.

Zooming out: Ally was an early adopter of TST and is now doubling down on its investment as the tournament grows. A bigger sponsorship role for the bank will help build the tournament’s infrastructure, which should accommodate future expansion — hopefully a bigger women’s bracket in 2025.