Women’s Sportswear Company MAAREE Wins SFIA’s 2024 Start-Up Challenge

SFIA’s two-part Start-Up Challenge highlighted the latest innovations in sports and fitness technology, products, and services.

(November 5, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is excited to announce that the winner of the 2024 Annual SFIA Start-Up Challenge is MAAREE. MAAREE, founded by Mari Thomas-Welland, is a women’s sportswear company dedicated to supporting women so they can achieve their goals confidently and worry-free. MAAREE was selected as the winner after a several-month selection process, including a Live Q&A Session (Part I) and culminating in the live Main Event (Part II) on October 29 in coordination with SFIA’s Boston Super Regional.

Founder and Director Thomas-Welland leveraged her experience testing sports bras in lab conditions and designed the world’s first sports bras with Overband® Technology, an integrated curved panel that runs over the top of the chest to reduce upward motion and restrict the range of motion of the breasts – which significantly reduces upward motion during activity.

“We are thrilled to be awarded the SFIA 2024 Start-up Challenge Champions,” said Mari Thomas-Welland, Founder and Director, MAAREE. “As a female founder championing women’s sport, we are here to help make a change one step at a time and this opportunity enables us to keep progressing on our journey. We can’t wait to make great connections with organizations and investors in the USA that will assist us in reaching our full potential.”

After studying Sports Engineering at Loughborough University, Thomas-Welland went on to professionally test the performance of sports bras under laboratory conditions for some of the top sports brands in the world. Being a keen hockey player, buying a good sports bra was always high on her list, and so she decided to create a product that would not only be comfortable and supportive, but also crucial in enhancing performance.

Thomas-Welland’s personal values have always included empowering women and fighting for equality, so it felt natural for her to extend these over to MAAREE. She is proudly fighting for improved apparel, equipment, and technology, which puts women at the forefront of innovation. MAAREE’s vision is to become the UK’s top sports bra brand and close the gender gap in exercise participation by providing the necessary tools and support for women to lead healthy, active, and empowered lives.

“On behalf of SFIA, I want to congratulate MAAREE for winning the 2024 Start-Up Challenge,” said Todd Smith, President & CEO, SFIA. “This achievement highlights the vital role that innovation plays in advancing the sports and fitness industry, and MAAREE’s commitment to pioneering new solutions not only enhances the industry, but also empowers athletes, specifically women and young girls, to reach their full potential.”

In preparation for the 8th annual event, finalist entrepreneurs submitted pitch videos and investment profiles to a judging cohort made up of sports & fitness executives, venture capitalists, investors, and leaders from private equity. The 10 finalists each took part in the Live Q&A Session, that took place virtually on September 27. Four finalists were then selected to compete live at the Start-Up Challenge Main Event on October 29 in coordination with SFIA’s Boston Super Regional.

As the grand prize winner, MAAREE will receive media coverage, a spotlight in one of SFIA’s annual research reports, attendance and recognition at an SFIA event, and a judge seat for the 2025 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. All ten finalists who participated will be given personal introductions to industry decision-makers and executives as well as one year of SFIA membership.

Click here to learn more about MAAREE.

The 2024 Start-Up Challenge runner-up was Volley, followed by FabLittleBag and LZRD Tech, Inc. The other finalists who participated were Activate, Alphabeats, iPlayMe2, New Stream, Pick Fit, Prorizon, and Total Motion 360.

“We are proud to recognize all of this year’s exceptional finalists and the impactful solutions each of these innovators are bringing to the sports and fitness industry,” states Smith. “SFIA is committed to providing platforms that showcase innovative entrepreneurs who are driving progress and enhancing experiences for athletes, paving the way for the future of our industry.”

For more on the Start-Up Challenge, visit www.sfiastartupchallenge.org. If you are interested in an interview with the Start-Up Challenge winner or any of the finalists, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

Wilson’s Joe Dudy to Join Board of Directors; Four Members Re-elected to Three-Year Terms

(October 18, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is pleased to announce the election of Mike Zlaket, CEO and Member, Board of Directors for Rawlings Sporting Goods, as Chairman of the SFIA Board of Directors, effective immediately for a one-year term. Zlaket has a 30-plus-year history in the sporting goods industry, the last 10 of which have been served as the CEO of Rawlings Sporting Goods – where under his stewardship, the company has grown to be valued at more than $1 billion.

Zlaket replaces former Board Chair Jon Ram, who served three one-year terms in the Chair role and will now serve as the Immediate Past Chairman.

“I am honored to assume the role of Chairman of the Board for SFIA. Having served on this Board since 2018, I have witnessed firsthand the work we do for the sport and fitness industry,” said Zlaket. “I look forward to collaborating with my fellow Board members to drive SFIA’s mission forward and am excited about the positive impact we will make on the industry.”

In addition, Joe Dudy, President & CEO, Wilson Sporting Goods, has been elected to the Board, along with four Board members who were re-elected, all for three-year terms. They join 13 additional Board members serving staggered terms. The election took place at SFIA’s Annual Meeting on October 17, 2024. The Board will support the newly installed SFIA President & CEO, Todd Smith. 

New Addition to the Board of Directors Includes:

Board Members Being Re-Elected Include:

The above new addition and re-elected members will be joining currently serving Board members:

Media Contact:
Lisa Futterman | [email protected]

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

FabLittleBag, MAAREE, Volley, and LZRD Tech Take Top Spots Following Part 1

(October 10, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is excited to announce today that FabLittleBag, LZRD Tech, MAAREE, and Volley are the four finalists who will move on to compete in the 8th Annual SFIA Start-Up Challenge Main Event on October 29, 2024 at Babson College – in coordination with SFIA’s Boston Super Regional.

Following the completion of the Live Q&A Session on Thursday, September 27 (Part I), these four finalists had the top scores amongst eleven competitors – including a tie – after presenting virtually to an exclusive judging panel made up of sports & fitness executives, venture capitalists, investors, and leaders from private equity. Our finalists will now present their innovative products at the competition’s Main Event.

The applicant pool includes entrepreneurs from around the world, representing all segments of the sports and fitness industry, including performance and strength/conditioning products, technologies and apps powered by AI, and more.

The four finalists are:

The seven other finalists who competed in the annual challenge were: Activate, Alphabeats, iPlayMe2, New Stream, Pick Fit, Prorizon, and Total Motion 360. All finalists will receive one year of SFIA membership, a logo feature in an SFIA research report, a five-minute pitch video, real-time feedback, and personal introductions from industry executives.

“The caliber of candidates in this year’s Start-Up Challenge is truly exceptional, as each participant brings innovative ideas and a passion for advancing the sports and fitness industry, making this competition one of the most exciting and competitive yet,” states Chandler Hoffman, Director, Membership & Technology, SFIA. “We are especially thrilled to collaborate with Babson College, renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to fostering the next generation of industry leaders, for the Main Event.”

In addition to all the prizes listed above, the grand prize winner, who will be selected on October 29 2024 at SFIA’s Boston Super Regional amongst FabLittleBag, LZRD Tech, MAAREE, and Volley, will receive a 2025 SFIA Start-Up Challenge judges’ seat, media coverage, a spotlight in an SFIA research report, and the SFIA event advantage, which includes the opportunity to network and connect with SFIA Members, a speaking opportunity, and public recognition as ‘Start-Up Challenge Winner’ at an SFIA event.

The SFIA Start-Up Challenge held its inaugural event in 2016, and since then, finalists who have participated in the annual competition have raised more than $310 million for their innovations. SFIA is proud to serve as a leader in the industry in helping support innovation and growth through this event.

For more on the 2024 Start-Up Challenge, visit www.sfiastartupchallenge.org. If you are interested in attending the Main Event, taking place on October 29, 2024 at SFIA’s Boston Super Regional at Babson College, click here.

If you are interested in an interview with one of the Start-Up Challenge finalists or a member of the SFIA team, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

(October 8, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its 2024 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report, which examines participation and market trends from 2023 in team sports and features in-depth data analysis of age group participation and specific takeaways. The report breaks down data for 24 different team sports by youth and young adult team sports participation and includes information on coaches, training, and trends to watch for in 2024.

SFIA data for the team sports category shows that there were roughly 8 million more team sports participants in 2023 than in 2022, an 11% increase. This participation number is the highest number of team sports participants since 2014 and is the third-straight year of positive gains. From 2022 to 2023, 20 of 24 team sports that SFIA tracks increased its participation figures, with only four sports not seeing increases.

CORE team sports participation and overall play occasions are both still down from pre-pandemic levels, however, we are seeing signs of recovery and positive developments in the data. CORE team sports participation is still significantly down from 2019 levels, but the majority of team sports (14 of 24) increased their CORE participation figures from 2022 to 2023, and we expect that number to grow in 2024. While play occasions were also down for 18 of 24 sports since 2019, 18 of 24 sports did see one-year increases in play occasions, meaning this number appears to be on its way to recovery.

“The 2024 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report highlights a remarkable resurgence in team sports participation, with an 11% increase from 2022 to 2023, marking the highest number of participants since 2014. This growth underscores the resilience and enduring appeal of team sports in our communities,” states Alex Kerman, Senior Director, Research & Business Operations, SFIA. “While we celebrate these gains, the industry needs to continue to focus on converting casual players to CORE players so we can strive towards a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.”

In 2023, sport per participant continued its downward trend. On average, people aged 6+ played 1.73 sports, the lowest figure in the last decade and the first time this number has gone below 1.80. Alternatively, the sport per participant number for people in the 6-12 and 13-17 age groups individually did go up slightly from 2022 to 2023. While youth sports participation (ages 6-17) remained flat from 2022 to 2023, team sports participation did in fact experience growth for those 18+.

The 2024 Trends in Team Sports Report is free to SFIA Members and is available to the public for purchase by clicking here for $650.

The report is provided free of charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of this report or an interview with an SFIA representative, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

# # #

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

Will Present for Judging Panel of Sports and Fitness Executives and Investors 

(September 16, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced today that it has selected 11 finalists to compete in the 2024 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. The Start-Up Challenge, now in its eighth year, champions innovative entrepreneurs who are revolutionizing the sports and fitness sector through cutting-edge products, technologies, and concepts.

The first part of the competition will take place on Thursday, September 26, 2024, with the Virtual Q&A Session. At the conclusion of the Q&A session, the top three finalists will be selected to move on to compete for the chance to be the Challenge Champion at the Start-Up Challenge Main Event on October 29, 2024, at Babson College – in coordination with SFIA’s Boston Super Regional.

The applicant pool includes entrepreneurs from around the world, representing all segments of the sports and fitness industry, including performance and strength/conditioning products, technologies and apps powered by AI, and more.

All finalists will receive an invite to participate in the live Virtual Q&A Session (September 26) to pitch their product or service to a panel of esteemed judges made up of industry executives, investors, retailers, and thought leaders. In addition, all finalists will receive one year of SFIA membership, a logo feature in an SFIA research report, a five-minute pitch video, real-time feedback from industry decision-makers and executives, and personal introductions.

The 2024 finalists are:

In addition to all the prizes listed above, the grand prize winner, who will be selected amongst three finalists at the Start-Up Challenge Main Event (October 29) will receive a 2025 SFIA Start-Up Challenge judges’ seat, national media coverage, a spotlight in an SFIA Research Report, and the opportunity to network and connect with SFIA Members at an SFIA event – including free event registration, a speaking opportunity, and public recognition as ‘Start-Up Challenge Winner’ at an SFIA event.

“Americans are valuing and pursuing active lifestyles more than ever before, and with that comes the need to innovate and create inspiring new products and ideas,” said Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA. “As the SFIA hosts its eighth Start-Up Challenge in 2024, we are excited to again highlight next-gen advancements to help enhance the sports and fitness industry.”

For more on the 2024 Start-Up Challenge, visit www.sfiastartupchallenge.org.

If you are interested in an interview with one of the Start-Up Challenge finalists or a member of the SFIA team, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

Final Batch of 39 In-Depth Sports and Fitness Activity Reports Released Today

September 11, 2024 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its third and final series of Single Sport Reports for 2024. A total of 91 sport-specific reports for a variety of sports and fitness activities over the seven categories SFIA tracks are now available for purchase.

As reported in our 2024 Topline Participation Report, 242 million Americans, or 78.8% of Americans, participated in an activity one or more times in 2023, a 2.2% increase from last year. The number of people that have participated in an activity has increased every single year for a milestone of 10 years, growing by 5 million in 2023. Inactivity also decreased to its lowest number since SFIA began tracking the metric.

“We are excited to add one new report to SFIA’s library of Single Sport Reports for 2024 – Football (7v7),” states Alex Kerman, Senior Director, Research & Business Operations, SFIA. “These reports round out our total of 91 reports, which our members find especially valuable for their deep-dive into specific ‘demographic of participant’ data, including Casual vs CORE participation, which can help organizations make better business decisions and plan for their future objectives.”

These reports provide a detailed analysis and breakdown of participation by various demographics and by specific sport or fitness activity. This includes data on participation as defined by gender, participation frequency, age, geographic region, household income, education level, cross-sport/activity participation, and ethnicity.

The following 39 Single Sport Reports are now available:

This is the third and final series of SFIA Single Sport Reports released for 2024. All 91 Single Sport and Fitness Participation Reports are now available for purchase for $100 per report for SFIA Members and $300 per report for Non-Members.

These reports are provided free of charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of any of the reports or an interview with an SFIA representative, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

## #

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

(September 4, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Board of Directors has appointed Todd Smith as President and Chief Executive Officer for the association, effective October 1, 2024. Smith will succeed current President/CEO, Tom Cove, who earlier this year announced his retirement after leading the organization since 2005.

“I am excited to have Todd join the SFIA,” said Jon Ram, Chairman of the SFIA Board of Directors and former CEO, C&J Clarks Shoes. “He embodies the energy and values of the SFIA and our members. It was a challenging process to find a leader capable and suitable of following in Tom’s footsteps and exceptional leadership. Todd’s leadership and strong track record will enable the SFIA to continue to excel in its work to represent our dynamic industry and our amazing members.”

Smith joins the SFIA, whose members consist of hundreds of brands, manufacturers, and retailers in the sports products industry, after serving as the Senior Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization. In this role, he was a leader in expanding the association’s membership network, creating new programs and resources for U.S. Chamber members, and advancing the advocacy and policy priorities of the business community.

Smith brings to the SFIA CEO role a strong knowledge and passion for the sports and fitness industry. Prior to joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Smith was a Director of Global Partnerships for AEG, a global leader in the sports and entertainment industry. His extensive industry experience, having worked across the professional sports sector with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, NHL’s LA Kings, and MLS’s LA Galaxy as a leader in sponsorship sales, marketing, and fan development, provides Smith with a deep understanding of the needs of SFIA’s members. He holds a master’s degree in sports management from LSU and a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. 

“I’m thrilled to have Todd coming aboard,” said Mike Zlaket, Chair of the SFIA Board Search Committee and CEO of Rawlings Sporting Goods. “Tom Cove is retiring with a long, successful legacy and leaves big shoes to fill, and Todd really checked all the boxes during the search process. I am confident he will be a tremendous leader who will represent our industry with class, creativity, and passion, and I know we have a very bright future ahead of us under Todd’s leadership.”

Media Contact:
Lisa Futterman | [email protected]

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

24 Fitness Activity Single Sport Reports Are Now Available; Join 28 Previously Released

August 13, 2024 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its second of three series of 2024 Single Sport Reports, including 24 individual reports from the fitness activity category – including conditioning, strength, and aerobic activities. SFIA has now released a total of 52 single sport reports from the team sports, individual, racquet (pickleball), and fitness categories.

As reported in our 2024 Topline Participation Report, many health club-based activities, such as Treadmill, Stair-Climbing, Rowing Machine, and most class-based fitness activities, such as Barre, Pilates, and Yoga, saw good gains in participation in 2023, following the limited access to them during the pandemic period.

“The fitness sports category continues to have the most participants with around 208 million people participating in fitness activities – the only category that has over 200 million participants,” said Alex Kerman, Senior Director, Research & Business Operations, SFIA. “This second series of SFIA’s Single Sport Reports will show drill-down data for all fitness activities, providing an in-depth breakdown of participation and trends over a 5-year period.”

These reports provide a detailed analysis and breakdown of participation by various demographics and by specific sport or fitness activity. This includes data on participation as defined by gender, participation frequency, age, geographic region, market size area, income, education level, cross-sport/activity participation, and ethnicity.

The following 24 Single Sport Reports are now available:

This is the second series of SFIA Single Sport Reports released for 2024. 28 Single Sport Reports are also available for purchase from the team, racquet, and action sports categories.

52 2024 SFIA Single Sport and Fitness Participation Reports are now available for $100 per report for SFIA Members and $300 per report for Non-Members.

These reports are provided free of charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of any of the reports or an interview with an SFIA representative, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

## #

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

28 Individual Single Sport Reports Are Now Available for Purchase

July 11, 2024 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released the first series of 2024 Single Sport Reports, including 28 individual sport reports from the team sports, racquet sports, and individual sports categories. These reports provide a detailed analysis and breakdown of participation by various demographics and by specific sport or fitness activity.

As reported in our 2024 Topline Participation Report, all of the seven major sport and fitness physical activity categories showed increased year-over-year rates of participation, with team sports seeing 10.8% growth. Additionally, 20 of the 24 Team Sports categories tracked by SFIA showed increases, whereas only five showed increases the previous year. The number of team sports participants has now exceeded pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels from 2019. This first series of SFIA’s Single Sport Reports will show drill-down data for all team sports, as well as individual sports, and pickleball.

“The rate of Americans participating in overall physical activity continued to increase in 2023 – an extremely positive trend that we continue to monitor,” said Alex Kerman, Senior Director, Research & Business Operations, SFIA. “Our Single Sport Report series offers detailed, actionable data on various team sports, including baseball, outdoor soccer, and flag football as well as pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the US.”

Each report provides a detailed analysis and breakdown of participation by various demographics for the specific sport or activity. This includes data on participation as defined by gender, participation frequency, age, geographic region, market size area, income, education level, cross-sport/activity participation, and ethnicity. 

The following 28 Single Sport Reports are now available:

All 2024 SFIA Single Sport and Fitness Participation Reports are $100 each for SFIA Members and $300 per report for Non-Members.

These reports are provided free of charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of any of the reports or an interview with an SFIA representative, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

## #

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

(June 13, 2024) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) today announced that President & CEO Tom Cove will retire effective October 4, 2024. Cove has led the organization since 2005 and previously served as SFIA’s Vice President of Government Relations for more than 13 years.

During his tenure, Cove oversaw the transformation of the association from a traditional tradeshow-focused manufacturers group into a full-service industry organization delivering unparalleled sport and business advocacy, world-class sports participation research and analysis, innovative thought leadership and events, and a wide variety of targeted member services to address the specific needs of industry companies. In 2014, Cove led the Board of Directors through a foundational strategic review and rebranding process for the 108-year-old organization that re-established its mission and strengthened its foundation for generations to come.

Among Cove’s signature leadership accomplishments were the Congressional passage and funding of the Carol White PEP program, which drove almost $1 billion into local physical education programs around the country; the ground-breaking program to eliminate child labor in global soccer ball production, for which SFIA was awarded the Corporate Conscience Award; the Industry Participation Plan (IPP), a multi-million dollar collaboration which coalesced the entire sports and fitness industry to support legislation and grassroots programs to increase physical activity and sports participation; the establishment of National PE Day and National Health Through Fitness Day, bringing hundreds of celebrity athletes and industry executives to lobby Capitol Hill annually; and the creation of SFIA’s Start Up Challenge, Sports & Technology Conference, Industry Leaders Summit, Litigation and Risk Management Summit, Team Sports Conference, and multiple other national industry events.   

Current SFIA Board Chair Jon Ram praised Cove’s leadership, stating, “Tom has been a true visionary, always pushing the industry forward. His passion for sports and fitness has been evident in every initiative he has undertaken. We thank him for his immense contributions and wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

“Tom’s dedication and vision have been invaluable to SFIA and the entire sports and fitness industry,” said Chris Clawson, General Manager of Gymtech, and former SFIA Board Chairman. “His tireless efforts have positioned SFIA as a leader in promoting physical activity and sports participation. We are grateful for his years of service and the lasting impact he has made.”

Industry leaders also expressed their appreciation for Cove’s work. “Tom has been a fantastic partner to Brooks and a strong advocate for the running community,” said Dan Sheridan, CEO of Brooks Running. “His commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles through sports and fitness has been truly inspiring.”

Roman Oben, VP of Strategy for the NFL commended Cove’s efforts in promoting youth sports participation. “Tom has been a key ally in our efforts to encourage youth to be active and engaged in sports. His leadership has helped create opportunities for countless young athletes.”

Jennifer Bendall, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Nike, added, “Tom’s advocacy work has been crucial in advancing the interests of the sports and fitness industry. He has been a unifying force, bringing together companies and organizations to drive positive change.”

The SFIA Board of Directors, assisted by the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, is conducting a comprehensive search to identify Cove’s successor. Cove will assist in the transition process to ensure a smooth handoff of leadership.

“It is a tremendous privilege to work every day for a mission you believe in, a cause you have passion about, with people who challenge and inspire you,” states Cove. “I feel honored to have had the opportunity to do this with SFIA and this industry. It has been a great run and I look forward to new chapters, both for myself and for SFIA.”

Media Contact:
Lisa Futterman | [email protected]

###

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit sfia.org.

Related Content
Press Release

Women’s Sportswear Company MAAREE Wins SFIA’s 2024 Start-Up Challenge

 Read more
Press Release

Rawlings’ Mike Zlaket Elected as SFIA Board Chairman

 Read more
Press Release

Four Finalists Selected to Compete at the 2024 Start-Up Main Event to Determine Champion

 Read more
Press Release

Team Sports Category Records Highest Number of Participation in Nearly 10 Years

 Read more