The Future is Female with GURLS

Join Us in Creating The Next Generation

Of Lifelong Ultimate Leaders

GURLS seeks to address and disrupt a lack of inclusivity and support of girl athletes by creating the next generation of strong, lifelong leaders who strive to give back to their community, empower other girls, and fight to create positive change for all.

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Event Information

Friday, August 16th 2019
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Salesforce East, Ohana (30th Floor)
350 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Google Map Link

What to Bring & Suggested Attire

We suggest, though not require, that our guests dress in "semi-formal attire".
Please make sure to bring a 1) government issued ID, and 2) a check book or credit/debit card if you would like to contribute to our Silent Auction and/or Paddle Raise.

Public Transportation Options

Salesforce East is a 4-minute walk from the Embarcadero BART/MUNI station. Exit the BART/MUNI station and head southwest on Market Street. Turn left onto Fremont Street and then a left onto Mission Street. The Salesforce East entrance is located on the corner of Fremont/Mission. Directions Link.

From the North Bay, the best public transportation option is the ferry. Park at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal (free after 3pm) and take the ferry heading towards the San Francisco Ferry Building (Schedule Times). From the Ferry Building, head southeast on the San Francisco Bay Trail (turn left out of the Ferry Building Main Entrance) and turn right onto Mission Street. The Salesforce East entrance will be on the right hand side of the street. It should be about a 9-minute walk. Directions Link.

Parking Options

Fifth & Mission / Yerba Buena Garage (Link): $3.00/hr 6pm-midnight
Golden Gateway Garage (Link): $1.00/hr 6pm-10pm
Embarcadero Center (Link): $3.00/hr 5pm-midnight

Entering the Event

Once guests check-in on the ground floor of the Salesforce East Tower using their government issued ID, they will receive a bracelet (to wear during the event) and be escorted to the top floor by a Salesforce team member. One there, you will check-in at our Welcome Table to receive your paddle card and event program.

We will also have a Coat Check available for all of our guests to use.

Food & Drink

We will have a wonderful array of snacks, finger foods and desserts from Onigilly, Novy, L&G Vietnamese, Sabores Del Sur, Reems, Esrellita's Snacks, Bini's Kitchen, and Three Babes Bakeshop.

The bartenders will also provide an assortment of wines, beer and soft drinks. Please note that we will be switching to a soft bar at 8:00pm. The bartenders have the right to check any individual's ID before serving them alcohol.

Silent Auction

We have a number of wonderful items that guests are welcome to bid on at our Silent Auction table from Blue Star Admissions, MaryEllen Hackett, Tracy Piper, Malisa Suchany, Smitten Ice Cream, Three Babes Bakeshop, Touchstone Climbing Gym, Bay Area Derby ... and more!

Our Silent Auction will run from 6:00pm until 7:00pm.

Paddle Raise

For those who may not know, a paddle raise is a simple request for additional donations with a "live auction" feel. Individuals raise their paddle cards to indicate which monetary increment they would be willing to contribute directly to our GURLS Program. If you would like to generously donate an additional amount to GURLS -- this would be a great opportunity to do so!

"It’s no secret that sports teach valuable life lessons. But, what makes GURLS an important program is that it bridges the gap between sports skills and real world skills, allowing participants to synthesize and refine the skills we already have in order to be the best leaders we can be in life. The emphasis on understanding group dynamics, advocating for yourself and for others, and communicating in an assertive and hygienic way has been invaluable to my life since GURLS.”

- Anna Reed, GURLS Participant

Why Support the GURLS Program?

Our primary target outcome of this leadership program is to increase the number of lifelong leaders within ultimate, including (but not limited to): captains, coaches, event directors, organizers, and project managers. Our belief is that GURLS is an essential and integral piece of our community's larger responsibility in growing girls ultimate by: 1) growing the pipeline 2) investing in local programs and 3) developing leaders.

Current State of Girls Ultimate
Data from Bay Area Disc show us that only 20% of our active youth players are girls. With such a small representation of players coupled with a lack of representation in leadership, girls often feel frustrated by the lack of inclusivity our sport currently provides.

Nationally, the statistics are no different. In terms of leadership:

The CEO and 3 out of 4 Department Heads in our National Governing Body are men
Approximately 21% of local disc organizations are led by women
According to USA Ultimate membership stats, only 28% of coaches are women
In 2019, only 20% of coaches recognized for Coaches of the Year were women, none of whom were recognized coaching in the Men's Division
According to USA Ultimate, there are currently 21 states are currently without a USA Ultimate Girls’ Outreach Coordinator

In terms of participation:

Only 23% of all youth players (nationally) are girls
Only 34% of all players (nationally) are female (adult & youth)
In California, there is significant lack of proportional growth of girls during middle school (ages 14-16)