Women’s Sports Club Prompts PrizePicks to Sponsor NWSL’s North Carolina Courage
DFS Operator Becomes First Fantasy Sports Company to Partner with Team in NWSL
PRESS RELEASE - ATLANTA, August 1, 2023
The North Carolina Courage and PrizePicks, the largest fantasy sports operator in North America, have announced that the company has signed an agreement with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team to become an official Daily Fantasy Sports Operator of the Courage. PrizePicks is the first fantasy sports operator to partner with a team in the NWSL.
The partnership comes after PrizePicks became an official member of Sports Innovation Lab’s Women’s Sports Club, powered by Ally. The Women’s Sports Club was designed to accelerate media investment into women’s sports by connecting decision-makers from across the industry. Members include brands such as Ally, Nike, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Michelob Ultra, properties such as WNBA, LPGA, NWSL, World Surf League, and media platforms including Women’s Sports Network, Just Women’s Sports, Roku and more.
“PrizePicks’ commitment to women’s sports through their Courage partnership demonstrates their leadership in the high-value emerging market that is women’s sports daily fantasy,” said Sports Innovation Lab CMO Gina Waldhorn. “They’re pioneering in a space that’s not only important to helping the broader sports market reach gender equality, but which is strategic business imperative.”
The North Carolina Courage, founded in 2017, are based in Cary, North Carolina and play their home games at WakeMed Soccer Park. Among the most successful clubs in the NWSL, the Courage are two-time NWSL Champions, three-time NWSL Shield winners, 2018 ICC Champions and 2022 Challenge Cup Champions. This year’s team has continued the winning tradition, currently atop both the NWSL regular season table and the Eastern Division in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup. Six of the team’s players are also showcasing their talents at the Women’s World Cup this month.
“The growth of professional women’s sports and the intentional investment by corporate partners go hand-in-hand. PrizePicks’ commitment to the Women’s Sports Club demonstrates a clear understanding of this importance and we are delighted to associate with a company that values the growth of the Courage and women’s sports across the board. We look forward to a fruitful partnership that will benefit all parties in both the short and long term,” said Courage president Francie Gottsegen.
For PrizePicks, the two-year partnership demonstrates its commitment to supporting women's sports. PrizePicks has seen explosive growth across its portfolio of women’s fantasy sports markets, which includes NWSL, WNBA, women’s tennis, golf and soccer, over the past several years.
"I want to thank the Women's Sports Club for their continued mission to increase investment in women's sports and for helping spark this first-of-its-kind partnership with the NC Courage," said PrizePicks Co-Founder & CEO Adam Wexler. “It is no secret that women’s sports are on a major rise, particularly evident by the strong earlier viewership in this year’s Women’s World Cup. We pride ourselves on being innovative, setting by example, and hope that others in the sports entertainment industry will follow our commitment to expanding the popularity of women’s sports.”
ABOUT SPORTS INNOVATION LAB, PRIZEPICKS, AND NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE
PrizePicks is the fastest-growing sports company in North America according to the 2022 Inc. 5000 rankings and the largest skill-based fantasy sports operator in North America. The company was recognized as the Fantasy Sports Business of the Year Award by the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association and as the Fantasy/DFS Operator of the Year by EGR North America. With current & past partnerships including NASCAR, Atlanta Braves, Big3, Atlanta United, North Carolina Courage, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Marlins, PrizePicks is the most fun, fast and simple version of daily fantasy sports, covering a wide variety of sports leagues from the NFL and NBA to esports titles League of Legends & Counter-Strike. Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the PrizePicks workforce has grown to over 300 in the past year, with the company recently being recognized as a Top Workplace by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Follow PrizePicks online at https://www.prizepicks.com/. Join the social conversation on their LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The North Carolina Courage are a Division I professional women’s soccer team and are in their seventh season of play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The team was established in January 2017 after owner Steve Malik acquired the Western New York Flash following their 2016 NWSL Championship Season and moved the team to North Carolina. Since relocating to Raleigh, the NC Courage have won three NWSL Shields, the inaugural Women’s ICC Championship, the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championships and, most recently, the 2022 Challenge Cup.
Sports Innovation Lab is a fan intelligence and market research company that helps the world's leading sports organizations acquire the fan of the future - the Fluid Fan™ - and maximize their value. We collect and analyze observational data on what fans buy, watch, and how they behave, then provide analysis and strategic interpretation of that data to world-class clients such as the NFL, NHL, FIFA, Google, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Visa, and PUMA.
Follow Sports Innovation Lab online at sportsilab.com and mostinnovative.com. You can also stay up to date with the latest Sports Innovation Lab research and developments by following us on social media Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
MEDIA CONTACT
Anthony Baldini; Athlete Strategies
anthony@athletestrategies.com