Play Academy with Naomi Osaka Joins Forces with GoDaddy to Launch New Website

Available in both English and Japanese, the new site will allow Osaka to expand Play Academy's reach and more girls to get active through sport

TEMPE, Ariz., April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY), the company that enables everyday entrepreneurs, and global tennis star Naomi Osaka today launched a new website for Play Academy, the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion's initiative aimed at empowering girls through play and sport. Together, they will debut the website as the online home for the program, founded in 2020, that provides grants and capacity-building training for community sports organizations and emphasizes fun, positive play experiences and coaches who are trained in gender-inclusivity.

Play Academy's new website (PlayAcademyNaomi.com), built in English and Japanese using GoDaddy's WordPress Hosting product, centralizes the work being done via local organizations in Haiti, Japan and Los Angeles to empower girls through sport. It will tell the powerful stories of lives impacted by Play Academy and showcase how various partnerships come together to bring Osaka's vision alive.

"One of the reasons I was excited to partner with GoDaddy was the way they empower everyday entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into realities," said Osaka. "Changing girls' lives through play and sport requires allies and creating a website in partnership with GoDaddy was critical in sharing my vision with the world."

"Our Venture Forward data from winter 2021 shows that women made up 57% of all starts since the pandemic. Partnering with Naomi Osaka signifies an opportunity to further our support of diverse communities while helping to level the playing field for women – both in their business endeavors and in sports," said GoDaddy Chief Marketing Officer Fara Howard. "The new Play Academy website will be a powerful tool to advance the organization's mission and build an online community that empowers more girls to get active and build confidence."

GoDaddy has donated $25,000 toward Play Academy's cause. The company also partnered with Naomi Osaka late last year to launch her skincare brand, KINLÒ, and brand website (NaomiOsaka.com). KINLÒ, a love letter to Osaka's heritage, combines the Japanese and Haitian words for "gold," and offers skincare formulated to protect melanin-rich skin. The launch of KINLÒ marked Osaka's first foray into entrepreneurship as an ecommerce business owner.

Play Academy with Naomi Osaka is a program created through a partnership between Naomi Osaka, NIKE, Inc., and Laureus Sport for Good, with the goal of changing girls' lives through play and sport. Play Academy launched in Tokyo in 2020 and has expanded to Los Angeles, Haiti and recently the Japanese city of Osaka, currently partnering with 10 community organizations to help level the playing field by increasing girls' participation in sport.

Naomi Osaka is one of the most explosive and influential tennis players of all-time. She is the first Asian player to hold the No.1 ranking in singles and the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam. Her extraordinary tennis triumphs combined with her off-court activism and entrepreneurship make her one of the biggest global names in all of sports.

In 2013, Osaka entered the WTA professional circuit as a rising star quickly gaining fans and media attention through her powerful serve and strong forehand. Since then, she has won 4 Grand Slams - twice winning the US Open and Australian Open. She has won all 4 of her Grand Slam finals played, making her only the third player in history to do so after Monica Seles and Roger Federer. Her 2020 US Open triumph was set against the backdrop of a pandemic and social unrest, drawing accolades from across society.

Osaka has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, Ad Weeks Most Powerful Woman in Sports, Forbes Highest Paid Female Athlete of all Time, and one of Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People. Her name also became known as a voice in activism on and off the court with bold statements publicizing the names of victims of police brutality and shining a light on social inequality in our nation.

Off the court Naomi's love for all things fashion is evident from her design collaborations with Adeam, Nike and Tag as well as her global ambassador for the Paris Fashion House Louis Vuitton. Osaka has had her designs walk the runway of NY Fashion week and herself served as a co-chair at the Met Gala.

Osaka has appeared on various fashion covers including Allure, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Women's Health and Vogue, and has appeared on talk shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CBS This Morning, TODAY, and GMA. Her various brand partnerships include Nike, Levi, Mastercard, Beats, Nissan, PlayStation, Victoria Secret, Louis Vuitton and Tag watches which make her the world's most marketable athlete.

In 2021 Osaka founded her own line KINLÒ, a functional protective skincare line for all people of color. The line is formulated specifically for melanated skin types and offers an assortment of everyday skincare products to help assist in daily recovery and rejuvenation. The brand pays homage to Naomi's bicultural heritage in the meaning of the name KINLÒ, with both Kin and Lo meaning 'gold' in Japanese and Haitian Creole respectively.

GoDaddy is empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world by providing all of the help and tools to succeed online and in-person. GoDaddy is the place people come to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and manage their work. Our mission is to give our customers the tools, insights and the people to transform their ideas and personal initiative into success. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

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