Canadian brands are getting in the women’s sports action

The GIST: Canadian brands are getting in the women’s sports action. Canadian Tire directed millions of sponsorship dollars towards professional women’s sports on Monday, while GE Appliances Canada supported CanWNT in its ongoing labor dispute with Canada Soccer.

Canadian Tire: The company pledged at least 50% of its endorsements to women’s sports by 2026, including ad spend on broadcast, digital and social platforms. Canadian Tire also became a founding partner of Project 8 — the agency behind the upcoming pro women’s soccer league — and a sponsor of the WNBA’s Canada preseason game.

• Additionally, the company is now the presenting partner of the first espnW summit in Canada, the premier national sponsor of the Canadian Women & Sport’s Commercial Women’s Initiative and a corporate partner of Toronto Metropolitan University's Future of Sport Lab. Talk about making life in Canada better.

GE Appliances: In a letter to Canada Soccer, the appliance brand said it’s “prepared to direct an immediate $100K in incremental sponsorship activation funding” to the women’s national team. The commitment comes right before four CanWNT players testify to a parliamentary committee tomorrow.

• That said, there are questions about if CanWNT can even accept GE’s offer — Canadian Soccer Business, which owns commercial rights to CanWNT and CanMNT, is reportedly required to sell sponsorship as a bundle.

The parallels: GE may be the first Canada Soccer sponsor to put its money where its mouth is to support CanWNT, but it isn’t the only brand to take such a stand. The U.S. Soccer Federation booked several USWNT–focused partners during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and each of them extended their deals post–equal pay.

Zooming out: With few pro teams and leagues but strong signs of audience interest, Canada boasts a ton of untapped women’s sports potential, and brands are providing the impetus to build the Great White North’s nascent scene.

• The hype is only growing. Look no further than the WNBA’s upcoming preseason game in Toronto — tickets are almost sold out at 19K-seater Scotiabank Arena after Monday’s presale. Get ’em while they're hot.