Canadian Women & Sport launches new campaign to keep girls playing in youth sports

Half of Canadian girls drop out of organized sports by the time they’re 17, according to Canadian Women & Sport.

But the non-profit organization has a plan to stop that from happening.

Canadian Women & Sport launched a national campaign called Get Girl Coached on Monday. It’s designed to change how youth sports are run in an effort to keep girls involved.

The call to action is focused on listening to young female athletes about what they need to keep playing sports.

Hamilton’s Kia Nurse, a guard with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and a member of the commercial women sport advisory group organized by Canadian Women & Sport, said that’s the element of the campaign that she’s most excited about.

“I think the big piece is being able to actually hear from our young women and hear from their mouths what it is that’s maybe deterring them from continuing on,” said Nurse, who is a three-time Olympian. “That’s when we go and create these new grassroots programs or these new policies or these new marketing campaigns or leagues.

“We have an opportunity to make it as inclusive as possible so that these young women do want to stay in sports.”

Running countrywide in both English and French throughout the fall, the Get Girl Coached campaign will be delivered across social media and through direct outreach as Canadian Women & Sport partners with sports organizations across the country.

KeepGirlsPlaying.ca, a new national online hub designed for coaches, policy makers, sport leaders and corporate decision-makers was launched as part of the campaign. The website offers free tools and resources developed through research with girls, showing what can be done in every role to make sport a place where girls feel they belong and can thrive.

“I think one of the big things about society right now in life right now is convenience. The easier it is to find information, resources that are reliable, is really important,” said Nurse. “To be able to have all the information that we were able to gather through our research and put it in one place for pretty much anybody to look at from coaches to leaders, policy-makers, anyone within sports organizations.

“I think that’s massive, to be able to just have it in one place, to have a better understanding of what these young women are open to in terms of growth.”

Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, chief executive officer of Canadian Women & Sport, noted that keeping girls involved in recreational sports isn’t just good for them as individuals, but for society as a whole.

“When girls play sports, they gain mental health benefits, physical health benefits, they also gain leadership and confidence and things that take them well into their lives, setting them up for success, but also making our communities stronger and making Canada stronger,” said Sandmeyer-Graves, adding that it was the 2022 Rally Report commissioned by her organization that found that half of Canadian girls drop out of sports by the age of 17. “Which means they’re missing out on those benefits of sport, and therefore Canada is missing out.

“We think that there’s a tremendous opportunity in front of us to rally Canadians around this topic, to Get Girl Coached and to really make a difference in the lives of the girls in their communities, and to see the ripple effects for all of Canada.”

The Get Girl Coached project is partially funded by the federal government. The campaign was developed by Toronto-based creative agency Lifelong Crush along with Lighthouse Strategy and Table 9 Productions.

“Far too many girls leave sport before reaching their potential,” Secretary of State (Sport) Adam van Koeverden said in a statement. “That’s why Sport Canada is proud to support Canadian Women & Sport and the Get Girl Coached campaign. By listening to girls and offering support, we can build a sport system that keeps them engaged, active, and thriving.

“Every girl deserves the chance to enjoy the lifelong benefits of sport.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press