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Celebrating a Year of Impact: Gotham FC’s Keep Her in the Game, presented by Dove, Smashes First-Year Goals
 

Celebrating a Year of Impact: Gotham FC’s Keep Her in the Game, presented by Dove, Smashes First-Year Goals

More than 1,780 girls reached through the program, surpassing original target by 78%

First-year impact report shows dramatic increases in confidence ratings for participating girls and coaches

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Aug. 8, 2025) - Gotham FC announced on Friday its first annual impact report for Keep Her in the Game, presented by Dove, outlining the social impact initiative’s official first-year numbers during its inaugural year of operations.

Since the program’s debut in August 2024, Keep Her in the Game has reached 1,783 girls aged 11-14, outperforming the original goal of reaching 1,000 girls in its first year. In addition to girls benefiting from the KHITG curriculum in games and practices, more than 160 had the added value of practice visits from Gotham FC’s star athletes throughout the fall and spring seasons. The program also boasted its first intensive, a five-month leadership development seminar named the KHITG Youth Leadership Council, for 15 participants in ninth and 10th grades.

“In just its first year, Keep Her in the Game has reached more than 1,000 girls – giving them not just access to the game, but the confidence, strength and sense of belonging that come with it,” said Laurie Tisch, the founder and president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and Keep Her in the Game’s founding philanthropic partner. “At a time when too many girls drop out of sports, this initiative is helping them stay engaged, healthy and empowered. We’re proud to support a program that’s changing lives on and off the field.”

There were 97 coaches trained across five sessions this past year and 226 parents and caregivers trained through two Raising Resilient Athletes Workshops led by program partner Girls Leadership. There was a 45% increase in coaches saying they are “confident” or “very confident” in supporting girls' emotional and social needs in sports, with 93% of coaches acknowledging they strongly agreed or agreed the KHITG program helped them build team connection and chemistry among players. The Net Promoter Score from the spring KHITG parent workshop participants was 85 on a scale of minus-100 to 100, a powerful indicator attendees found it valuable and worth recommending to fellow parents.

“Being a part of Gotham FC’s Keep Her in the Game program has been an incredible experience,” said Michelle Betos, Gotham FC assistant goalkeeper coach and former club captain. “KHITG is more than an initiative – it’s a movement transforming how we support girls in sports. From empowering coaches with applicable tools to creating safer, more inclusive spaces, KHITG is helping ensure every girl not only stays in the game but thrives in it.”

The full impact report can be found here. Applications are also open for our 2025-2026 cohort of KHITG teams. Coaches of U12-U14 girls’ soccer teams in NJ/NY this fall can apply here before the August 18th deadline.

Keep Her in the Game, presented by Dove, is Gotham FC’s flagship social impact program aiming to combat the high adolescent drop-off rate of girls in sports. The program is designed to empower the trusted adults in girls’ lives – their coaches and parents – with research-backed training to help girls and gender expansive youth develop leadership skills, find their voices and stay committed to the sport of soccer. Keep Her in the Game also delivers moments of joy and connection for the girls themselves through unique access to Gotham FC players and experiences at Gotham FC’s home stadium, Sports Illustrated Stadium.

The program would not be possible without Dove as a presenting partner and founding philanthropic partner, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund is a New York-based foundation dedicated to increasing access and opportunity for all New Yorkers. Through strategic grantmaking and innovative partnerships, the Illumination Fund supports programs that use the arts to improve health, expand access to mental health resources and promote equity – particularly by helping girls stay active and engaged in sports.

Additional partners include:

  • Girls Leadership, a nonprofit organization, played an integral role in the development and execution of this program, including the design and execution of the coach and parent trainings and the research-backed coach curriculum.
  • Charter Oak Impact, a social impact and sponsorship firm, supported Gotham FC’s community impact team in the creation and implementation of KHITG and led the design and execution of KHITG’s monitoring and evaluation process.
  • New Jersey Youth Soccer and South Bronx United also played an essential role as founding youth soccer partners, engaging and recruiting the first year cohort of coaches and teams.

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