USA Ultimate Partners with Women's Sports Foundation
Posted: May 20, 2015 04:15 PM
USA ULTIMATE PARTNERS WITH WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION
Learn to Play, GUM programs to support GoGirlGo!, Sports 4 Life initiatives
Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 20, 2015)—USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States, and the
Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) announced today a partnership designed to increase girls’ participation in the sport of ultimate.
The partnership will work toward integrating curriculums from two of USA Ultimate’s outreach and education programs – Learn to Play and the
Girls’ Ultimate Movement (GUM) – into the Foundation’s
GoGirlGo! and
Sports 4 Life programs. The WSF GoGirlGo! program has reached more than 1 million girls and 15,000 youth serving organizations to date. Paired with the rapid growth of grassroots youth sports programming, this opportunity to introduce and teach ultimate to a wider audience of girls is an unprecedented one.
The partnership officially launches later this week with promotional messaging about the WSF and its programs on the ESPN3 broadcasts of the
USA Ultimate College Championships, with ongoing promotion throughout the U.S. Open and National Championships.
The WSF’s award-winning GoGirlGo! curriculum and sports education program works to improve the health of sedentary girls and keeps them involved in physical activity by supporting programs and organizations that work with girls. The Sports 4 Life grant initiative was established by espnW and the WSF and is a national effort to increase the participation and retention of African-American and Hispanic girls, ages 11-18, in youth sports programs. As part of the collaboration USA Ultimate will provide its Learn to Play kits, which include equipment, educational materials and promotional items, to the WSF as well as girl-specific curriculum and programming guidance through its GUM program.
"We’re thrilled about this partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation," commented USA Ultimate Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tom Crawford. "As we discussed our various programs, it became clear that our organizational goals were perfectly aligned, and that integrating our programs into theirs could be mutually beneficial. We’re also excited to be able to promote the great work the WSF is doing in conjunction with USA Ultimate’s ongoing commitment to gender equity in our sport. I have had the pleasure and honor to work and collaborate with the WSF over many years and have a tremendous amount of respect for the organization and its work."
About the Women’s Sports Foundation
The Women’s Sports Foundation — the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports — is dedicated to creating leaders by ensuring girls access to sports. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, our work shapes public attitude about women’s sports and athletes, builds capacities for organizations that get girls active, promotes Title IX compliance in high school and college athletics, ensures equal opportunities for girls and women, and supports physically and emotionally healthy lifestyles. The Women’s Sports Foundation has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world’s elite female athletes and is recognized globally for its leadership, vision, expertise and influence. For more information, visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.
About USA Ultimate
USA Ultimate is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as a Recognized Sport Organization and serves as the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States. USA Ultimate is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its national headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. Founded in 1979 as the Ultimate Players Association, USA Ultimate is the largest flying disc organization in the world with more than 50,000 members, including athletes, coaches and observers. USA Ultimate’s mission is to "Advance the sport of ultimate in the United States by enhancing and promoting Character, Community and Competition." The Sports and Fitness Industry Association recently cited ultimate as one of the fastest-growing team sports in America with more than five million active players. USA Ultimate’s largest segment is its college division, with colleges and universities fielding more than 860 teams that compete in a nationwide postseason championship series and nationally televised championship event. Currently, USA Ultimate administers the full spectrum of ultimate in the U.S. and hosts 11 major events annually, including regional and national championships and an international-level event, the U.S. Open. Governed by a core principle called "Spirit of the Game,"™ ultimate is proud of its heritage and continuing practice of being a self-officiated sport with an extraordinarily high level of sportsmanship from grassroots recreational play to elite-level international competition. The sport of ultimate was invented in 1968 by students at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J. and is now played worldwide in three major disciplines – grass, beach and indoor. USA Ultimate is recognized by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) – the sport of ultimate’s international federation and IOC member – and fields U.S. National Teams for international events, including junior, U-23, elite and masters world championships and the World Games.
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