By Gary Symons
TLL Editor-in-Chief
Canadian Tire Corp. says it has directed at least half of its sports sponsorship investment to women’s professional sport, fulfilling a pledge it made in 2023 and shifting its focus to getting more Canadians to watch.
The retailer says it is the only major Canadian company to publicly commit to equal investment across women’s and men’s professional sport. The Toronto Stock Exchange-listed company did not disclose the dollar value of its sponsorship spending.
“Canadian Tire has long believed in the power of sport to bring Canadians together and create connections that transcend the game itself. Our 50/50 commitment is an important milestone and an expression of that belief,” said Greg Hicks, president and CEO of Canadian Tire Corp. “Increasingly, fans aren’t distinguishing between men’s sport and women’s sport. They simply want to watch great sport. As women’s sport becomes more visible and accessible, more Canadians will get to celebrate the exceptional athletes, competition, and moments it is creating.”
The company says the next challenge is visibility. It cites figures saying 75% of Canadians describe themselves as fans of women’s sport, but 62% of fans say they do not know where to find the sport they want to watch.
That will certainly change, thanks to the influence of Canadian Tire, which is Canada’s largest non-grocery retailer. It not only holds the iconic Canadian Tire brand, but also owns sports-related retail chains like Sport Chek and Atmosphere.
As well, Canada’s national broadcaster CBC recently announced it will be broadcasting PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) games on its Hockey Night in Canada program.
To help boost viewership and support for women’s sports, Canadian Tire launched an ad featuring female athletes as the first step in a national campaign called “We’ll Make a Fan Out of You.” The company says the campaign will use media partnerships, broadcast and social content, and fan experiences to introduce more Canadians to women’s professional sport.
“The first chapter of our Women’s Sport Initiative was rooted in belief and investment. The next chapter is about being a catalyst for fandom,” said Eva Salem, senior vice president of marketing at Canadian Tire Corp. “We know Canadians are ready. The opportunity now is to help more people discover the incredible athletes, rivalries, competition, and moments that make sport meaningful.”
Salem says increasing viewership and awareness will be key in growing women’s professional sports.
“When visibility grows, fandom grows, creating stronger leagues and a clearer pathway for girls and women in Canada,” she said. “Ultimately, the entire women’s sport ecosystem will be stronger.”
As part of the effort, Canadian Tire will become presenting partner of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada.”
The company’s holdings include the Canadian Tire retail network, SportChek, Mark’s, Atmosphere, and Party City. Canadian Tire and SportChek are founding partners of the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the Northern Super League, and an official partner of the Toronto Tempo, which the company describes as Canada’s first WNBA team.
The company says its support also includes sales of female-specific equipment and products, athlete relationships, community programming, research, and media partnerships.
The company says the initiative builds on work that began in 2015, when Martha Billes, board director of Canadian Tire Corp. and founder of its charity Jumpstart, convened sports leaders to address the rate at which girls leave sport. Jumpstart’s Play to Lead program continues that work.
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