CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Always® and Walmart are proud to announce the fulfillment of the “50 Teams, 50 States” program aimed at helping keep girls confident through sports participation. Always partnered with retailers to drive awareness of the benefits of keeping girls in sports, and is supporting #LikeAGirl programs at retailers across the country. As a part of the Keep Playing #LikeAGirl program, Always and Walmart have worked to identify and provide much-needed assistance to girls’ sports teams across the United States. Today, resources in the form of new equipment, uniforms, facilities upgrades and funds have been fully committed, benefiting one girls’ team in each of the fifty states.
Based on the insight from the Always #LikeAGirl – Keep Playing campaign that nearly 7 in 10 girls feel that society does not encourage them to play sports*, Always and Walmart wanted to highlight and acknowledge girls’ efforts on sports teams all around the United States, focusing on the teams who need and deserve support and encouragement to keep playing #LikeAGirl most. From a powerlifting team in Mississippi, to a softball team in North Carolina, a soccer team in Pennsylvania, and a track and field team in Colorado, Always sought to recognize, support and celebrate all of the hard work these girls put in every single day to keep playing the sports they love, despite many obstacles. In addition, as part of the Always #LikeAGirl – Keep Playing movement, schools have received educational materials to help reinforce the link between sports and confidence.
“Always is continuing its mission to stop the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty by helping shed light on the important role sports can play in building confidence and encouraging girls to Keep Playing #LikeAGirl,” said Amanda Hill, Brand Director for North America Feminine Care, Procter & Gamble. “The ‘50 Teams, 50 States’ program has introduced us to amazing girls from all over the country. We’ve been inspired by their stories of perseverance, and we can’t wait to see the amazing things they’ll do now and in the future.”
“We’ve been so proud to support the Always ‘50 Teams, 50 States’ program and get to know the stories of so many deserving girls,” said Annie Walker, Vice President, Over The Counter Merchandising, Walmart U.S. “Walmart and Always are both committed to making a difference for women and girls and we’re thrilled to see this great program provide teams with the resources they need to feel encouraged and confident this season and for years to come.”
The “50 Teams, 50 States” program started with a junior high girls’ basketball team in Hulbert, Oklahoma. That entire experience was captured last summer, and has been combined with highlights from other teams around the country, in the new Always #LikeAGirl – 50 Teams Across 50 States video. Hear stories straight from the girls, see teams from all types of sports, and be inspired by the impact that community support can have on girls at this critical life stage by watching the Always #LikeAGirl – 50 Teams Across 50 States video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQsNTgbbcQ.
About Always #LikeAGirl
The Always #LikeAGirl movement is being fueled by the millions of girls around the world who are changing #LikeAGirl to mean amazing things. The Always #LikeAGirl campaign launched in June 2014 was inspired by the insight that the start of puberty and the first period mark the lowest moment in confidence for girls and how harmful words can add to that drop in confidence. It demonstrated the profound effect the phrase “like a girl” can have on girls’ self-confidence and it inspired a movement, which has started to change public perception: after seeing the #LikeAGirl video, most people (76 percent of women ages 16 to 24 and 59 percent of men) said the video changed their perception of the phrase “like a girl,”** according to the Always Puberty & Confidence Wave II Study. But it could not stop there. In 2015, a new Always study revealed that 72 percent of girls feel society limits them by telling them what they should and should not do or be. And more than half of girls felt that societal limitations would be the same or worse ten years from now, showing a lack of hope for change. Always could not accept that and launched the Unstoppable #LikeAGirl campaign to empower all girls to show the world that they could do or be anything and everything. In March 2016, the brand tackled the subtle bias conveyed through emojis, and the resulting conversation can be credited in part for 44 new female empowering emojis available on Apple iOS 10 and via Facebook. In June 2016, the brand released new survey data which finds that half of girls quit sports by age 17 and that seven in ten girls do not feel encouraged to play, despite data that links sports participation to increased confidence. To help keep girls in sports, Always launched the new Always #LikeAGirl – Keep Playing initiative, now in progress. For more information about the #LikeAGirl movement, visit www.always.com.
Survey Methodology
*The Always Confidence & Puberty Wave IV Study was conducted by MSLGROUP Research utilizing Research Now Panels that surveyed a total of 1,514 Americans. There was a nationally representative sample group of 1,006 females aged 16 to 24 year old and 508 males aged 16 to 24. The survey was implemented between the dates of December 30, 2015 through January 7, 2016.
**The Always Confidence & Puberty Wave II Study was conducted by MSLGROUP using the Research Now Panel that surveyed a total of 1,800 Americans (1,300 American females aged 16 to 49 years old and 500 American males aged 16 to 49). There was a nationally representative sample group of 1,000 females and 500 males as well as an additional boost of 150 African American and 150 Hispanic American females. The survey was implemented between the dates of December 5, 2014 through December 12, 2014.
About Always
Always®, the world's leader in feminine protection, offers a wide range of feminine pads, wipes and liners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. The Always line of feminine products includes Always Infinity™, Always Ultra Thins, Always Maxis, Always Liners and Always Feminine Wipes. Please visit www.always.com for more information.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.
