Key Takeaways
- 85% of teen girls globally fail to meet WHO physical activity guidelines, according to 2024 data
- Nike and Spotify launched “Make Moves” to encourage daily movement through curated playlists
- Partnership targets confidence and belonging barriers that drive girls away from sports
- Campaign features athletes including Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson, and Lotte Wubben-Moy
- Initiative reflects broader industry focus on retention challenges in youth sports participation
Addressing a Global Participation Crisis
Nike and Spotify have expanded their partnership with “Make Moves,” a global initiative designed to inspire teenage girls to incorporate daily movement through music. The collaboration directly addresses concerning participation data from the World Health Organization’s 2024 report showing that 85% of teen girls worldwide are not meeting recommended physical activity guidelines.
The partnership creates a curated playlist experience intended to lower barriers to entry for physical activity among teenage girls. Rather than focusing on traditional sports programming, the initiative emphasizes daily movement habits paired with music as a gateway to sustained participation.
“Teenage girls should always be doing sport,” said Nike athlete Dina Asher-Smith, who appears in the campaign. “You can make new friends, develop key communication and team-building skills, and do yourself proud. Perhaps most important, you learn to see your body in a new light — valuing and being proud of it for the incredible things it can do, not just what it looks like.”
Targeting Confidence and Belonging Barriers
The Make Moves initiative specifically addresses documented challenges that cause teenage girls to withdraw from sports participation. According to the campaign materials, teen girls often experience lower confidence, increased self-awareness, and fear of judgment in sport unless they already excel in the activity.
Nike athlete Keely Hodgkinson, another campaign participant, emphasized the retention challenge: “It’s during those years that so many girls start to drift away from sport — often because of confidence, pressure or simply not feeling like they belong. If we can help more young girls stay in sport — and find their own rhythm, with music and movement — we’re giving them tools for life.”
The partnership leverages music as a familiar entry point, with playlists curated by athletes, artists, and teen girls globally. Nike athlete Lotte Wubben-Moy described the personal connection: “Sometimes I don’t know whether I listen to music or music listens to me. That’s how in-tune I feel with my playlists.”
Strategic Approach to Youth Sports Retention
The collaboration represents a departure from traditional youth sports programming models. Instead of facility-based or competition-focused initiatives, Make Moves emphasizes accessible daily habits that can be performed anywhere with minimal equipment requirements.
Nike athlete Rhasidat Adeleke highlighted the timing significance: “Campaigns about movement for teenage girls will always be of significance to me. I was once that teenage girl, and the guidance I received took me beyond my wildest dreams. It’s crucial for me to pay it forward, especially in a time where movement among teenage girls is in decline.”
The initiative connects movement and music to mental wellbeing outcomes, positioning physical activity as a tool for confidence building and self-expression rather than purely athletic achievement. This approach aligns with research showing positive mental health impacts from combining movement with music.
Broader Industry Context and Nike’s Strategic Direction
Make Moves extends Nike’s established focus on addressing barriers to girls’ sports participation. The company has previously published guides in Japan and France designed to remove participation barriers, partnered with the Tucker Center to provide coaching resources, and collaborated with other brands on confidence-building initiatives for girls in sport.
The Spotify partnership leverages both companies’ existing user bases and data capabilities to reach teenage girls through familiar digital platforms. Spotify’s music recommendation algorithms and Nike’s sports engagement data create targeting opportunities that traditional youth sports organizations typically lack.
The collaboration also reflects growing industry recognition that youth sports retention requires addressing social and emotional barriers alongside physical skill development. Traditional models focused primarily on competitive achievement may miss participants who seek different value propositions from physical activity.
via: Nike
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