Three- time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry, announced the creation and launch of the Curry Brand, a purpose-led performance brand with a mission to ensure every young person has equitable access to sport.
The new brand, produced in partnership with Under Armour, has long been committed to making athletes better, both on and off the court. But in order to be better, athletes need the opportunity to participate in the first place. According to a recent study, currently only 22 per cent of children growing up in low-income households are participating in youth sports; an issue that Under Armour and Stephen Curry are aiming to impact with the creation of Curry Brand. Because of this, the two are deepening their partnership with a purpose-led performance brand created to provide opportunity and access for the next generation of young athletes worldwide.
“Through the community work I’ve done with Under Armour for over a decade, I’ve learned that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” said Curry. “All of our work together has been dedicated to creating a more equal playing field that closes the gap between those two areas. Through Curry Brand, along with the work of Ayesha [Curry] and my foundation Eat.Learn.Play., I now have a long term plan to continue to address the barriers to sport that often hinder and limit a child’s potential for greatness.”
Curry Brand will work to provide solutions to ensure every young person has equitable access to sport, focusing on partnerships that will provide opportunity for youth sports in under-resourced communities. This commitment will provide apparel and equipment, and create safe places to play while ensuring that all coaches are engaged in professional development.
“Play is a fundamental part of childhood and is critical to development. So much of who I am as a person and a leader today is because of playing sports as a kid,” Curry said. “I learned the value of hard work, resilience, teamwork, communication, time management—sports teach young athletes so many critical life skills, which is why I’m passionate about making sure everyone has access to these opportunities, first through my foundation and now through Curry Brand.”
The Curry Brand is embarking on this journey starting in Oakland by committing to Oakland Unified School District to bring the joy of the game of basketball to each middle school, as well as partner with Positive Coaching Alliance to provide professional development for every youth sports coach in the Oakland Unified School District as well as Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development. As Curry Brand develops its impact model and builds its portfolio of partners, it is committed to helping more than 100,000 young athletes by 2025.
“Now more than ever, sport is an increasingly important aspect of our communities, and the fact that some young people never get the opportunity to participate is a problem,: said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Under Armour. “This problem, however, is something Under Armour and Stephen Curry felt that we could confidently work to solve together, so with our shared values in mind, we created Curry Brand to do just that.”
Locally, for the launch of Curry Brand, Under Armour Australia have partnered with Charity Bounce to inspire positive change. Curry Brand balls will be distributed nationally to Australian individuals and communities overcoming disadvantage. This is aligned to Curry Brand’s purpose: to create opportunity, access and equality for the next generation.
“Curry Brand is all about doing good in everything that we do,” Curry said. “I’ve tried to embody that in my own actions, and I think it’s also something that other people can really get behind no matter where they are in life or what their goals are, sports or otherwise. We all have the ability to impact the next person and to give back in some way, and that’s more important now than ever before.”
Curry Brand will feature footwear, apparel, and accessories across multiple categories including basketball and golf, with continued category expansion in future seasons such as running and women’s. Curry Brand apparel and accessories are available for purchase now at UnderArmour.com.au with performance basketball footwear releasing on December 12 at Under Armour Brand Houses, UnderArmour.com.au and Footlocker.