The Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award celebrates the legendary sports icon’s commitment to leadership and service, and honors high school and college-aged students who, like Billie Jean King, use sports to improve their communities. Maegha Ramanathan, founder of Girl4Sports, was honored on sports TV's biggest award stage for the award. 

(L-R) Rishin Tandon, Maegha Ramanathan and Ian Waite accept The Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award onstage.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Dublin native Maegha Ramanathan is being recognized on sports TV’s biggest award stage next week as the Gael swimmer and founder of Girls4Sports has been selected by ESPN among three national winners of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award.
 

In announcing the ESPYS’ 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards honorees last week, ESPN officials lauded Ramanathan for creating the youth-led nonprofit laser-focused on expanding access to sports for girls, especially in underserved communities, and breaking down gender-based barriers in athletics.

Dublin native and Girls4Sports founder Maegha Ramanathan joins KTVU sports reporter Keshawn Ward for a new episode of Hometown Heroes. She will be winning the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the ESPYs on July 16. Ramanathan founded Girls4Sports, a youth-led nonprofit based in Dublin that's dedicated to expanding access to sports for underserved girls while addressing gender inequality in athletics.

Founder Maegha Ramanathan was invited by California Governor and Wife, Jennifer Newsom, to the launch of her film trailer,  a film dismantling media gender biases. Ramanathan presented the Founder Awards at the Flip The Script Dinner. 

Our founder's efforts with Girls4Sports named her a Voice For Change by KTVU2

Maegha Ramanathan, 16, of Dublin, California, is the co-founder of “Girls4Sports,” a youth-led organization dedicated to expanding sport opportunities for girls in underserved communities so that the benefits of athletics can be accessible to all.  

This inspired Maegha Ramanathan  to shift the status quo by providing more avenues for girls to engage in sports. 

A Dublin-based nonprofit Girls4Sports, founded by a group of high-school students, is going global with their initiative to promote gender equality in sports and other opportunities.

Maegha believes in the power of youth as changemakers and looks forward to continuing to expand her work with Girls4Sports and reaching more young athletes as a GameChanger Stay and Play Champion.

In response to this need, GameChanger, the #1 rated youth sports app for live streaming, scheduling, and scorekeeping, a DICK’S Sporting Goods company, has launched its inaugural Stay & Play Champions program. This program brings together an all-star team of five teen athletes from across the country who are passionate about helping youth in their communities gain access to sports and stick with them. 

The Stay & Play Champions program is our way of amplifying the voice of youth athletes everywhere and ensuring they receive the support and resources they need to continue their athletic journey, overcome barriers, and thrive on and off the field. We're excited to learn from this group of remarkable Champions and work together to promote the importance of sports in communities nationwide

"Gender Justice Activism: Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future” is a powerful conversation between author Chelsey Goodan and youth leaders Maegha Ramanathan and John Maida about the importance of empowering the next generation while honoring past trailblazers.

"Each and every one of them are doing miraculous things already and they're just getting started" - Billie Jean King 

DUBLIN, Calif. (KGO) -- A Bay Area teen is headed to the ESPY's this week to receive the prestigious Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award.

The nonprofit Girls4Sports started in 2021, quickly evolving into the world's largest youth led organization fighting gender inequality in sports. We sat down with the 17-year-old founder who shared how this dream began.

Maegha Ramanathan will receive the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award for her work at addressing inequalities in sports

Founder Maegha Ramanathan's Q&A Session with The New York Times (page 3)

Founder Maegha Ramanathan's interview with ABC7, featuring a sports camp

Maegha Ramanathan, the visionary founder and president of Girls4Sports in Dublin, California, is recognized as the 7800th Daily Point of Light Awardee for her remarkable contributions to empowering female athletes globally

Founder Maegha Ramanathan speaks with Kron4 News live, recognized for her work at Girls4Sports 

Girls4Sports holds free summer camps in underserved communities, runs advocacy conferences, and collects and donates sports equipment to local sports teams

Maegha is the founder of Girls4Sports, a youth-led organization dedicated to expanding sports opportunities for girls in underserved communities so that the benefits of athletics can be accessible to all. 

Girls4Sports provides young women with safe spaces to practice, breaks down barriers obstructing their access to sports, and fosters inclusivity and equity in athletics. 

Maegha is the founder of Girls4Sports, a youth-led organization dedicated to expanding sports opportunities for girls in underserved communities so that the benefits of athletics can be accessible to all. 

The Representation Project has partnered with Ramanathan to amplify the #SignForNine campaign, which educates students about their Title IX rights.

“My main goal through #SignForNine is to make sure that everybody understands what their Title IX rights are,” said Ramanthan. “No one should have to face sexual harassment and not have it addressed properly. No girl should have their voice muted, simply because they are a girl.”