Play Academy with Naomi Osaka launched five years ago and has made an impact in the future of sport for girls across three locations. It all started with Naomi experiencing the power of sport for herself.
“I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3 years old, and it has changed my life. But I know not all girls – especially girls from underserved communities – have the same opportunities or role models that I’ve had, and I want to do something about it.”
– Naomi Osaka
2020
Naomi Osaka, Nike and Laureus Sport for Good announce the launch of Play Academy, starting in Tokyo where the first grantee partners were funded. It was important for Naomi to build Play Academy’s roots in Japan, where she was born and held her first tennis racket.
2021
With a mission so close to her heart, Naomi Osaka wanted to continue championing this cause in other communities she is closely connected to. Building on its efforts in Japan, where partnerships were already underway with the first three grantee partners, Play Academy expanded to Haiti, where her father is from, and Los Angeles, where she currently lives and trains. New partnerships were forged with local sport-based community organizations there.
2022
The year not only saw Play Academy expand to Naomi Osaka’s birthplace in Osaka, Japan, but also a time when grantee programs slowly returned to “normal programming” with COVID-19 restrictions loosening. Naomi helped re-energize the grantee partners by visiting programs supported in Los Angeles and Tokyo, and spending time playing sport with the girls.
2023
Grantees across Haiti, Los Angeles, Osaka and Tokyo really take off and begin engaging girls in sports through their respective programs. Extra focus was placed on training coaches, with Play Academy launching a networking program in Japan and inviting coaching representatives from all its grantee partners to London for a Global Summit hosted by Laureus.
January 2024
Play Academy continues supporting grantee partners across all sites, while increasing its support in Japan with three new additional grantee partners.
October 2024
Play Academy celebrated five years since launching during the multi-day Coach the Dream: Changing Sport for Girls Summit. Girls from the local community were treated with a special surprise when Naomi Osaka joined them for fun-filled activities.
PARTNERS
Naomi Osaka is one of the world’s most recognized and celebrated tennis stars. Born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, she moved to the US when she was 3. By 16, she turned pro in tennis and has gone on to become a multiple Grand Slam champion.
Nike’s purpose is to move the world forward through the power of sport – breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all. Nike fuels this belief through Made to Play, its commitment to getting kids moving through play and sport so they can lead healthier, happier and more successful lives.
Laureus has established that the power of sport can eliminate violence, discrimination and inequality, and that sport can change the world. Today, Laureus Sport for Good supports more than 250 programs in over 50 countries and territories to transform the lives of young people through the power of sport.
