Dream Teams Up with Nike to Grow the Game for Girls in Atlanta

The second season of Game Growers tips off with the opportunity for even more 13-year-old girls across the country to help their peers play – and love – sports.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Dream are proud to announce the renewal of a partnership with Nike, the WNBA and the NBA for Season Two of Game Growers, a unique and empowering opportunity for girls 13 years or older in seventh or eighth grade to share their ideas on how to encourage more girls to play sports.

Nike Game Growers is an exclusive opportunity for girls to share their ideas on how to encourage more girls to play sports. Two girls are selected by each participating WNBA or NBA team as Game Growers Co-Captains to develop ideas that could grow sports participation for girls. Game Grower Teammates are 7thand 8th grade girls who want to participate in exclusive Game Growers experiences that empower them to grow sport for girls in their communities.

Applications will be accepted until Dec. 4 for two Co-Captains, who will lead the development of an idea to grow sports for girls. The Dream’s Game Growers team will develop and test their idea, creating a Game Plan to grow sports participation for girls right here in Atlanta. New this season will be the addition of Game Growers Teammates, who are girls 13 years or older in seventh or eighth grade who support Co-Captains on their journey. Apply to be a Co-Captain or a Teammate online at http://gamegrowers.com.

The Dream’s first year winners, Dailey and Sierra, share their idea – Never Ever Stop Playing Sportz – and discuss their experience on http://gamegrowers.com/game-plans.

By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys. According to a 2018 study from the Women’s Sports Foundation, nearly 40 percent of girls don’t participate in sport, versus 25 percent of boys. Game Growers girls are already playing sports. By participating in the program, they not only have the potential for their ideas to get more girls playing, they also have the chance to grow their own leadership potential by developing ideas that make a difference in their community and having their voice heard.

Game Growers participants will be notified by Jan.15, 2021 and will earn a chance to develop their ideas to get more girls playing sports.

Season One Success

Game Growers projects in Season One embodied five key themes, which collectively create a sport environment where girls are included, valued and supported:

CREATE CONNECTION: Promote teamwork, community and skill-building through sport without the need for a “winner.”
BRAVE, NOT PERFECT: Build and instill confidence by learning the fundamentals of the game through compassion, creativity and risk-taking.
GIRL CHECK: Empower girls to get involved through programs that focus on female mentorship and girls-only camps.
LET HER COMPETE: Create diverse opportunities, including multi-sport clinics, co-ed and mixed-age group events that empower girls to free their competitive drive.
PROGRESS, NOT OUTCOMES: Support girls as they find ways to access resources that will break down barriers over time.

The 2021 season marks the organization’s 14th in the WNBA. The Dream have qualified for the playoffs nine times, winning conference titles in 2013, 2011 and 2010.