At the summit, a group of women spanning the sports industry including professional soccer player Sydney Leroux, legendary softball pitcher Jennie Finch, track and field Olympic Gold Medallist and CEO of Laureus USA Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, and Associate Vice President of Programs for the US Soccer Foundation Sarah Pickens, were joined by Katie Holmes, Cathy Engelbert, Christine Brennan and Elaine Welteroth to share how sports and fitness have impacted their lives.

"At Dick'S we believe at our core that sports matter. There are so many incredible benefits to playing sports, from building character, to learning how to win and lose, to increasing self-confidence", commented Lauren Hobart, President of Dick's and The Dick's Foundation, adding: "It was very special to have so many empowering women at our 'Here for Her' Summit this morning. Today is a proud moment for our Company and the Foundation as we announced expanded offerings in-store and increase our support for young girls to play sports."

To kickstart their 2020 Women's Initiative, the company announced that the Dick's Foundation will go ahead with a three-year, 5 million US dollars Sports Matter grant to the US Soccer Foundation's United for Girls initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for girls and young women to benefit from soccer. As the presenting partner of United for Girls, the Dick's Foundation's grant will be used to create safe places to play, fund coaching and training opportunities and support soccer programs in underserved communities across the country with the goal of engaging 100 000 girls by 2023. The retailer also announced that they are the Official Sporting Goods Retailer of USA Softball. In addition to the multi-year partnership, Dick' is the official merchandise vendor for the Stand Beside Her tour, which serves as the exhibition and training tour for the 2020 US Women's National Team ahead of competition this summer in Tokyo. And finally, in its stores across the US, Dick's is committed to working with its own private brands as well as its merchandising partners to deliver expanded assortment for her across several key sports including basketball, soccer, softball and dance, among others.

Since 2014, Dick's and The Dick's Foundation have pledged more than 100 million US dollars to support youth sports teams and leagues in need. The Sports Matter initiative strives to increase awareness for the growing issue of underfunded youth athletics nationwide and provide much-needed support through equipment, uniform and monetary donations.

DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.

Founded in 1948, Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. is a sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. As of the 1^st of February 2020, the company operated a network of 726 Dick's Sporting Goods locations across the United States. The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation with a mission to inspire and enable sports participation. It was created by Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. as a private corporate foundation to support Dick's charitable and philanthropic activities.