Gotham FC and Dove Join Forces in Game-Changing Partnership to Support Girls in Sports
In the Brand’s First Major Investment in a Women’s Sports Team, Dove Will Serve as Presenting Partner of Gotham’s Flagship Community Initiative Keep Her in the Game and Receive Prime Back-of-Jersey Placement
Dove’s Back-of-Jersey Sponsorship Ranks as Highest in National Women’s Soccer League History
HARRISON, NJ (Thursday, February 13, 2025) – Gotham FC, New Jersey and New York’s professional women’s soccer team, and global beauty brand Dove, on Thursday announced a new, record-setting partnership to support girls in sports, primarily through the team’s impactful Keep Her in the Game initiative. The partnership represents Dove’s first major investment in a women’s sports team.
In the new partnership, Dove will serve as the presenting sponsor of Keep Her in the Game, Gotham’s community and social impact initiative launched last year to address the disproportionate rates at which adolescent girls opt out of sports. Dove will become an official kit partner of the team, and in the largest back-of-jersey sponsorship in NWSL history, its logo will be prominently placed at the top of the back of the kit.
“Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways,” said Ryan Dillon, Chief Business Officer at Gotham FC. “We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence and become strong future leaders. We are honored to represent their tireless work with key jersey placement. The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important.”
Launched in August 2024, Keep Her in the Game directly addresses why girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14. The program equips coaches with specialized training and a research-based curriculum, gives parents practical tools to raise resilient young athletes and provides moments of joy and connection for the youth players themselves. In its inaugural season, Keep Her in the Game reached more than 500 youth players and engaged 30 local club teams, establishing a solid foundation for continued expansion of the program. The initiative’s plans for spring 2025 include expanding the program to reach 1,000 girls and establishing a Youth Leadership Council.
Even as women's sports experience meteoric growth and visibility, girls are still twice as likely as boys to drop out of sports by age 14, with 48 percent of girls who leave sports reporting they were told they had the wrong body type, according to Dove research. Girls also have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys. Yet girls who play sports are reported to have higher levels of confidence and experience a boost in self-esteem.
“Dove is proud to partner with Gotham FC, a team of the highest competitive caliber composed of some of the world’s strongest, most respected athletes,” said Laura DiMiceli, Head of Personal Care Sports Marketing, Unilever North America. “The data is clear: Sports build confidence, leadership skills and resilience in young women, benefiting them for years to come. As the No. 1 provider globally of body confidence and self-esteem education, Dove is committed to supporting Keep Her in the Game as part of our overall mission to help young girls pursue sports and keep playing the games they love.”
Gotham FC features a roster of World Cup champions, Olympians, international standouts and up-and-coming stars. The club captured its first NWSL championship in 2023 and last year advanced to the NWSL semifinals after the best regular season performance in club history. As the women’s professional soccer team in the New Jersey/New York area, Gotham FC is deeply committed to its local community. With a focus on excellence and impact, the club seeks to shape the future of women's soccer while serving as a leader in professional sports.
This partnership with Gotham FC underscores the Dove brand’s commitment to keeping girls in sports through the Body Confident Sport program. The program is a first-of-its-kind, scientifically-proven set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11-to-17-year-old girls. Launched in October 2023, the Body Confident Sport program is available via the Dove Self-Esteem Project, which has offered free, evidence-based resources for parents, teachers, mentors and kids since 2004. To date, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has reached more than 114 million young people globally across 153 countries.
To learn more about Keep Her in the Game, please visit gothamfc.com/community. To access free tools and learn more about what Dove is doing to help keep girls confident and in sports, visit Dove.com/confidentsports.
# # #
About the Dove Self-Esteem Project
Dove is the largest self-esteem education provider in the world, offering no-cost, academically validated tools to parents, teachers, mentors, and kids for nearly two decades with the Dove Self-Esteem Project. To date, Dove has reached more than 114 million young people globally across 153 countries with DSEP, with a goal of reaching 250M young lives by 2030.
About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with the launch of the Beauty Bar, with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove's heritage is rooted in care – proof, not promises grew Dove from a Beauty Bar into one of the world's most beloved beauty brands.
Real women have always been our inspiration, and since the beginning, Dove has been wholly committed to providing superior care to all, and to championing real representations of beauty in our advertising, communications, and campaigns. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone, and the Dove mission is to ensure a positive experience with beauty is universally accessible to all.
For 67 years, Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do. This includes the 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge,' and commitment to:
- Portray women as they are in real life with honesty, diversity, and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair color, type, and style.
- Represent individuals with zero digital distortion, with all images approved by the women they feature.
- Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world with a goal to educate 250 million young people by 2030.
About Keep Her in the Game
In August 2024, Gotham FC launched its flagship community and social impact program, Keep Her in the Game (KHITG). KHITG aims to reduce the drop-off rate of adolescent girls in soccer while building resilience to help them face life’s challenges on and off the pitch. The program is designed to empower the trusted adults in girls’ lives – their coaches and parents – with research-backed training to help girls develop leadership skills, find their voices and stay committed to the sport. At the same time, KHITG delivers moments of joy and connection for the girls themselves through unique access to Gotham FC players and experiences at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Learn more at the KHITG webpage: gothamfc.com/keepherinthegame
