Gotham FC and Dove to Celebrate Keep Her in the Game Anniversary at Rivalry Match

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (July 15, 2025) - Gotham FC is under one month away from celebrating the one-year anniversary of its highly impactful community initiative Keep Her In The Game (KHITG), presented by Dove, at the Aug. 9 Rivalry Weekend showdown with the Washington Spirit at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Match programming is jam-packed for the highly anticipated 12 p.m. EST game, which will broadcast nationally on ESPN and pit two 2024 NWSL semifinalists against each other in a meeting with serious playoff implications. It is expected to be the largest crowd of the season for a Gotham FC home match, with a dollar donated to GFC community partner and youth soccer club South Bronx United for each fan in attendance.

Grammy Award-winning singer Ciara will light the torch in the pregame festivities, with youth wrestler Honor Smoke serving as torch bearer. In addition to leading the prematch coin toss, Dove partner and media personality Kylie Kelce will meet with hundreds of girls from the KHITG initiative who are attending the match and participating in a prematch demonstration of the program’s impact.

The media and commerce brand Togethxr will cohost a prematch party for Gotham FC fans from 10-12 p.m. at the new Keepers restaurant, bar and coffee shop on Pete Higgins Blvd across the street from Sports Illustrated Stadium.

“We are so excited to host this incredible celebration of Keep Her in the Game in a big way,” said Laura Petro, the vice president of brand and fan experience for Gotham FC. “This initiative is at the very core of our club’s values, and a rivalry match on national television is the perfect stage to put its impact on full display with powerhouse guests and an amazing crowd.”

In August 2024, Gotham FC launched Keep Her in the Game, a research-backed initiative aimed at reversing the high dropout rates among adolescent girls in sports. The program provides curated resources and support to empower young athletes both on and off the field in response to alarming data showing that by age 14, girls leave sports at nearly twice the rate of boys and face 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports.

Earlier this year, Dove joined forces with Gotham FC with an NWSL record-setting partnership, becoming the presenting sponsor of Keep Her in the Game in making the iconic personal care brand’s first major investment in a women’s sports team. The initiative has far surpassed its one-year goal of reaching 1,000 girls, engaging more than 95 local youth soccer clubs and their coaches. This partnership with Gotham FC continues the Dove brand’s commitment to keeping girls in sports through the Body Confident Sport program, a first-of-its-kind, scientifically-proven set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11-to-17-year-old girls.

With the dollar-per-fan donation, Gotham FC is helping support South Bronx United’s work to provide access to coach mentorship to more than 300 girls while they learn the game, play competitively and develop on and off the field as athletes, leaders and scholars. South Bronx United will also be honored along with KHITG coaches during a halftime ceremony.

Keep Her in the Game was created in partnership with the non-profit Girls Leadership and social impact advisor Charter Oak Advisory. The initiative’s initial success was made possible through strategic partnerships with New Jersey Youth Soccer and South Bronx United, along with crucial support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

The Get Togethxr
The celebration begins with Gotham FC and Togethxr hosting The Get Togethxr, a pregame party from 10-12 p.m. at Keepers, the new bar and restaurant on Pete Higgins Boulevard, located across from the Audi West VIP entrance at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Along with a variety of giveaways, RSVP to get your first cocktail, wine, beer, coffee or non-alcoholic beverage for free on Gotham FC (while supplies last).

Expanded Fan Fest, presented by CarMax, and Giveaways
Starting at 10:30 a.m., fans can enjoy an expanded Fan Fest, presented by CarMax, and receive special giveaways. The Fan Fest will include the return of the Flower Truck, giving fans a unique bouquet-making experience as well as a photobooth, the Create It and Wear It Bead Bar and exclusive new merchandise. Dove will be on the ground with empowering activations to build body confidence in sports, including the debut of the Confidence Wall, a larger-than-life installation fans of all ages can sign to show their support for keeping girls in sports. Plus, the first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a special Dove baseball cap. RWJBarnabas Health will be back with the Mini Pitch, CarMax's welcome carpet and photo moment will be in full effect and Grüns will be handing out gummy samples for those in attendance.

Gotham FC Express
The GFC Express is back! This bus service is designed for roundtrips to Sports Illustrated Stadium on matchday, with no public transportation or parking required. Fans can catch the GFC Express from either Manhattan, Brooklyn or Jersey City dropoff locations with a purchased seat. To claim your ride and learn more, visit GothamFC.com/gfc-express.

Group Opportunities
Groups also gain exclusive access to two unique postmatch activations — player autographs and a coaches chalk talk. Kids who are part of groups of 10 or more at this match will have access to player autographs afterwards. Space is limited and will be first come, first served. The chalk talk is available to coaches bringing a group of 10 or more and will have the opportunity to chat with Gotham FC’s general manager and head of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West about what it’s like to build a successful culture, drills to perform at practice and mindsets of a successful coaching staff. Learn more at GothamFC.com/grouptickets.