Tennis Canada is delighted to announce University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach and leading gender equity advocate Dawn Staley as the keynote speaker of the 2025 UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports Conference presented by National Bank in Toronto.
Taking place on Tuesday, August 5, attendees can expect an all-new experience this year as the event is relocating to the VIP Lounge presented by Audi at Sobeys Stadium, the site of the world-renowned National Bank Open presented by Rogers during the tournament’s “Championship Week”. This year’s theme is Stronger Together, as we recognize the important role of unity and allies in making meaningful change for women and girls in sport.
Tickets for the 2025 edition of UNMATCHED are now on sale and can be purchased by clicking here. To learn more about UNMATCHED, click here.
As an athlete, Staley was a six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic Gold medallist, but it’s as a coach that she has made her mark beyond the court. She became the first black woman to win three NCAA National Championships, claimed an Olympic Gold medal as Head Coach of the United States’ Women’s Basketball team, and has used her platform to continuously advocate for women in sport. In 2021, she publicly highlighted the disparities between women and men’s facilities at the NCAA’s tournament, forcing the event organizers to take action. In 2022, she was named the recipient of the Billie Jean King Leadership Award by the Women’s Sports Foundation, and just last year was presented Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs.
Further emphasizing that we are Stronger Together in advocating for gender equity in sport, Staley’s participation at UNMATCHED marks the first time the keynote will be from outside of the tennis ecosystem, as she follows a list of prestigious past speakers including Billie Jean King (2022), Maria Sharapova (2023) and Venus Williams (2024).
“We are honoured to welcome Dawn Staley as our UNMATCHED keynote this year,” said Eva Havaris, Senior Vice President of Tennis Development and Partnerships, Tennis Canada. “Dawn is the epitome of an equity advocate, and she perfectly embodies this year’s conference theme, Stronger Together. As we enter the fourth year of UNMATCHED, this industry-leading conference continues to evolve and we are delighted to bring the event on-site at the National Bank Open, elevating the experience of our attendees even further.”
UNMATCHED is part of Tennis Canada and National Bank’s Game. Set. Equity. (GSE) commitment, an ambitious and holistic strategy that focuses on how the federation will advance gender equity at all levels of the tennis ecosystem. In March, Tennis Canada celebrated International Women’s Day by releasing the GSE Impact Report, a comprehensive look at the early outcomes made across the five pillars of the strategy, the key insights gleaned so far, and the next steps to achieve its objectives by 2027. Click here to access the report.
