CAPITAL COURTS ACADEMY SPONSORSHIP PROJECT
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“Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”
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- Nelson Mandela
LOWER SPORT PARTICIPATION FOR GIRLS
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Sport participation levels for Canadian girls are much lower than boys. Among girls who have participated in sport, there is a dramatic dropout rate observed with 1 in 3 girls leaving sport by late adolescence. By comparison, the dropout rate for teenage boys (aged 16-18) is only 1 in 10.
Sport participation rates for Canadian girls decline steadily from childhood to adolescence with as many as 62% of girls not playing sport at all. So, why do they drop out?
Lack of access. Girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys have. Lack of physical education in schools and limited opportunities to play sports in both high school and college mean girls have to look elsewhere for sports –which may not exist or may cost more money.
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Safety and transportation issues. Sports require a place to participate – and for many girls, especially in dense urban environments, that means traveling to facilities through unsafe neighborhoods or lacking any means to get to a good facility miles away.
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Social stigma. Despite recent progress, discrimination based on the real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of female athletes persists.
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Decreased quality of experience. As girls grow up, the quality level of their sports experience may decline.
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Cost. School sports budgets are being slashed every day, all across the country.
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Lack of positive role models. Today’s girls are bombarded with images of external beauty, not those of confident, strong female athletic role models.
WHO IS CAPITAL COURTS ACADEMY?
CCA is a Not-For-Profit organization that was Founded by Fabienne Blizzard and Merrick Palmer in 2017. CCA was created with the mandate of ‘Inspiring, Developing and Preparing’ athletes for the future through a holistic approach. They deliver, control and support student athletes through the five pillars of academics, emotional and mental fitness, technical skill development, strength & conditioning, and basketball.
In addition to Merrick and Fabienne, the CCA Support Team is made up of a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals including a team physician, a strength and conditioning trainer, team psychologist, mental performance consultant and an academic advisor. In order to make their programing accessible regardless of socio-economic background, the organization has depended on the support and expertise of this incredible group of professionals who believe in the philosophy and willing to work in a volunteer capacity.
PROVIDING A ROAD MAP FOR SUCCESS
Since 2017, CCA has graduated 20 student-athletes. 12 grads have go on to play in the US at the Division 1 level and 8 grads played at the Canadian USPORTS level. 7 CCA players have represented Canada at national the level. Head Coach Fabienne and co-founder Fabienne Blizzard has spent several years with the national program as an assistant, mentor coach, manger and recently head coach of Canada's U16 Cadet team.
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2023 CCA NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS
Merissah Russell
Class of 2019
Louisville
Senior/U23
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Cassandre Prosper
Class of 2023
Notre Dame
Senior/U19
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Achol Akot
Class of 2023
Central Florida
U19
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Jahda Denis
Class of 2025
U16
Rachel Okokoh
Class of 2025
U16
Fabienne Blizzard
Head Coach
U16
SEEKING CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP
CCA provides a comprehensive development program that prepares young women for life on and off the court at the university level. The primary source of funding for the program is the $9,500 tuition fee that is collected each season. They understand that they are undercharging for all the services they offer but they are determined to find ways to keep tuition as low as possible in order to serve more families.
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We are seeking a multi-year branding collaboration between the academy, athletes and staff and a corporate partner with aligned brand values – “passionate about developing the next generation of female leaders through sport and education.”
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Branding and marketing opportunities include:
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Prominent logo placement on all uniforms, team clothing, merchandise, swag
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Logo and slogan inclusion on all social – “CCA powered by [corporate partner]” Use of athletes as brand ambassadors
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Use of athletes and CCA brand in the development of marketing assets including but not limited to social photos, videos, advertorials, educational pieces (for example Financial Literacy), activation programs, corporate responsibility marketing.
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E.g. March 8th is International Women’s Day
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Use of Capital Courts Training Centre, athletes, and programming as a vehicle for a signature event or series of events.
Unique features of CCA
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Athletes are predominately bilingual and represent Canada from coast to coast.
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Program has a history of developing exceptional humans both academically and athletically.
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Program is built on accessibility and diversity.
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Major program expenses
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Travel & accommodation
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Uniforms/team gear
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Gym rentals
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Insurance
ACCESSABILITY & INCLUSION MATTERS
Read more about Achol's journey from POVERTY to PODIUM after spending 3 years at Capital Courts Academy. Ottawa Sports Pages Article.
Learn more about Capital Courts Academy and the transformative success story in the mini-documentary – The Ripple Effect. Produced and Directed by Merrick Palmer