New Jersey Devils and PCA Launch Groundbreaking Initiative to Expand Access for Girls in Youth Sports

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is proud to announce a powerful new partnership with the New Jersey Devils and the Devils Youth Foundation—a three-year commitment to increase access, equity, and participation for girls in youth sports across five North New Jersey cities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Passaic, and Union City.

This initiative aims to reimagine the youth sports experience for girls and ensure they have opportunities not just to play, but to lead. With the support of the Devils Youth Foundation, PCA will recruit and train women of color from local communities as coaches, mentors, and role models—ensuring that girls see themselves reflected in leadership both on and off the field.

“The Devils Youth Foundation is proud to partner with the Positive Coaching Alliance to get kids moving and keep them engaged in sports. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to inclusive, community-driven programs that empower youth while supporting positive coaching and leadership,” said Kate Whitman Annis, Executive Director of the Devils Youth Foundation. “We look forward to building a lasting relationship that drives long-term impact across our communities.”

The partnership is grounded in a shared belief that sports, when done right, are a powerful vehicle for youth development, community building, and social change. Together, PCA and the Devils Youth Foundation are working to remove systemic and cultural barriers that too often prevent girls—especially girls of color—from participating in organized sports.

Key Goals of the Initiative:

• Expand participation by addressing the unique barriers girls of color face in accessing sports opportunities.
• Build coaching capacity through intentional recruitment and training of women of color from within these communities.
• Elevate local voices to ensure the program reflects the needs, strengths, and aspirations of the youth it serves.
• Foster long-term change by partnering with schools, community organizations, and city leaders to create sustainable systems that support inclusive sports programming.

Core Components:

• Listening Campaigns to understand community-specific challenges and co-design culturally responsive solutions.
• Community Roundtables to convene trusted local partners around sports equity and girls’ participation.
• Coach Recruitment & Training to empower women of color as coaches and community leaders.
• Partnership Development with grassroots organizations, schools, and rec centers to map assets and address gaps.
• Measurement & Learning to ensure ongoing feedback, evaluation, and storytelling drive long-term impact and replicability.

This initiative is more than a partnership—it’s a movement to transform who gets to play, who gets to lead, and how success is defined in youth sports. We’re thrilled to join forces with the New Jersey Devils to bring this vision to life and build a more inclusive future for the next generation of athletes and leaders.

Stay tuned for updates, stories from the field, and ways to get involved as the initiative takes root in communities across North New Jersey. To learn more about the Devils Youth Foundation click here and to explore the Devils Youth Foundation impact areas this year click here.