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Virginia USA-based nonprofit, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has teamed up with Nike to address and boost gender equity in youth sport, especially for girls. NRPA invests in and champions the work of 60,000 plus park and recreation professionals as a catalyst for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness and overall health and wellbeing. With Nike’s investment, the organization will conduct nationwide gender equity research, provide professional development opportunities and highlight studies and impactful stories of girls and women who have participated in sports in park and recreation programs.
Nike’s support for park and recreation agencies (PRA’s) and foundations dates back to the early 1960s, when Nike co-founder Phil Knight served as program director at Kenilworth Park and Lents Park in Southeast Portland for two summers. Since then, the company has supported park and recreation programs in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Portland, Oregon.
Across urban, rural or suburban communities, PRA’s provide a wide range of daily youth programming. According to NRPA’s Youth Sports report, five in six park and recreation agencies work with partners to deliver youth sports activities. However, each year, girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play sports than boys. As one of the largest providers of sports for youth in the nation, local PRA’s are critical to advancing gender equity and ensuring that all kids can benefit from fun, welcoming and positive sport experiences.
“NRPA is thrilled to partner with Nike to advance gender equity in youth sport through the power of parks and recreation,” said Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO. “Girls do better physically and mentally when they have the chance to play sports, yet girls are dropping out at twice the rate of boys. Park and recreation agencies are leaders in creating positive youth sport experiences for all kids, and have a unique opportunity to adopt new practices, policies and norms that level the playing field and prioritize girls and women.”
As part of the partnership, NRPA will also provide funding to 10 park and recreation agencies in support of gender equity strategies. This work will culminate in a strategy to help the more than 10,000 park and recreation agencies increase access and build a culture that celebrates girls and women in sports.
“At Nike we believe access to sport is a fundamental human right that can help build stronger, more inclusive communities. Yet, the reality is: girls continue to enter sport later and drop out earlier, if they have the chance to start at all,” said Matt Geschke, Senior Director of Americas, Social & Community Impact at Nike. “That’s why the opportunity to partner with NRPA to create a gender equity roadmap for park and recreation agencies across the U.S. — where millions of kids get their start in sport, and more girls will in the future — is fundamental to how, together, we can scale and sustain the research and program solutions NRPA is leading.”
Agencies are encouraged to apply for NRPA’s Gender Equity in Sport Community of Practice to participate in an NRPA-led learning community, providing education and peer-to-peer learning focused on gender equity in sports. Participants will also receive $20,000 to implement new strategies to increase access to sports and build a culture that celebrates girls and women in sports.
Nike and NRPA currently collaborate on the Million Coaches Challenge, which awards training to 30 agencies to upskill coaches on youth development practices and Project Play’s 63×30 initiative that intends to achieve 63% youth participation in the U.S.
NRPA was an Expert Advisory Council member of the Return to Play Fund founded by Beyond Sport and ESPN.
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