Women's Sports Museum Preview Center To Celebrate Launch Party and Phase II

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Preview Center prototype courtesy of Womens Sports Museum

The only museum in the world dedicated solely to women in sports is celebrating is long-awaited launch party this month. Women’s Sports Museum (WSM) will be revealing the preview center of the National Women in Sports Museum, to be built on Nathan Benderson grounds. The idea for WSM was sparked by a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball Player initially, to build a museum for professional women baseball players. But once WSM’s founding board members learned that there wasn’t a single museum in the world dedicated solely to women in sports, the concept shifted. The group of accomplished Sarasota-based women athletes, and their supporters, came up with the idea to not only to celebrate the achievements of women athletes, but also to inspire girls through the power of sport. The soon-to-come "living, breathing" museum will feature interactive, state-of-the-art exhibits that recognize the women—including former athletes of all abilities, broadcasters, referees, executives and coaches—who have defeated the odds in professional sports, defied gender stereotypes and lead all women to new heights. This year, Dr. Jen Welter—the first female coach in the NFL—was named WSM's 2019 honoree and recipient of the Trailblazer Award.

Now devoted to developing the next generation of young female athletes, WSM will share lessons learned through sports including teamwork, grit and hard work. As an institutional catalyst, the team at WSM plans to translate those lessons to every aspect of life, as well as celebrate annual trailblazers in history and present day who have achieved success in all different realms, far beyond the playing field. “We want to give girls the huge life advantage that comes with playing sports,” says President Beth Green. “The idea is ‘see it; be it.’ Though more and more girls are becoming involved in sports, there are many more who can benefit from learning about female athletes and their successes both on the field and in life.”

Although WSM will be the first-of-its-kind attraction in Sarasota, its focus on sports, culture, history and education makes it a natural fit for the active community of the Gulf Coast. The area continues to evolve into a sports hub—hosting numerous world-class sporting events, including the World Rowing Masters Regatta, World Rowing Coastal Championships, Sarasota Open (ATP), Puma Cup Soccer Tournament, USA Ultimate National Club Championships, as well as being home to elite training facilities such as IMG Academy. 

During Phase I of its five-year plan, the WSM team focused on raising awareness and supporting on a local level. The past three years, the team has hosted innovative programming to highlight and celebrate women athlete trailblazers, as well as creating and appearing with a pop-up museum at various events across Florida. They’ve also sponsoring local student athletes through the creation of a scholarship program. Now, with a launch party on the horizon for the museum’s preview center at University Town Center, WSM will celebrate the official start of Phase II, which will include securing a permanent location and initiating a capital campaign. Details of the effort will be announced at the event and money raised will help to achieve funding for construction 2020. 

Saturday, November 16, 6:30pm – 9:30pm at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, @womenssportsmuseum

Preview Center prototype courtesy of Womens Sports Museum

Eventbrite tickets to the Launch Party here.

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