FILLING THE STANDS—AND THE CONFIDENCE GAP

Journalist, coach, and nonprofit founder Elizabeth Sweet is rallying communities to show up for girls’ sports—one packed gym, cheer squad, and high-five at a time.

Elizabeth Sweet has always had her eye on the full court. A former basketball center at Homestead High School, she’s now a Lake Bluff-based journalist, mother of two, nonprofit founder, graduate student, and—this past winter—6th-grade girls’ basketball coach at Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS).

It’s a busy lineup of roles, but they all center around a single driving purpose: helping girls rise.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Sweet loved sports and dreamed of playing varsity basketball. But while boys’ games drew standing-room-only crowds, the girls often played in near silence.

“It was mostly parents and the occasional school band appearance,” she recalls. “I remember hearing, ‘That’s just the way it is.’ But it always bothered me.”

At 15, Sweet was already asking: Where is the community? And what message does it send when nobody shows up?

Years later, those same questions came roaring back when she returned to her hometown for a visit. A ticketing volunteer, noting a sparse crowd at the girls’ game, told guests: “Stick around for the boys’ game—that’s when it’ll fill up.”

For Sweet, the message was clear: girls’ games were still being overlooked. But this time, she saw the moment not just as a problem, but as a play to run. From those sidelines, a vision took root.

On February 5, 2025—National Girls and Women in Sports Day—Sweet launched Fill the Stands (FTS), a nonprofit dedicated to changing the way communities show up for girls in sports. FTS partners with schools to boost attendance at girls’ athletic events by transforming the game-day experience—complete with emcees, DJs, cheering gear, halftime performances, giveaways, and more.

Beyond the bleachers, FTS also offers empowerment programming for girls and fosters deeper community connection year-round.

The result? An electric game-day atmosphere that energizes the gym, validates the players, and brings the community together.

“It’s great fun—but it’s not just about hype,” Sweet says. “It’s about visibility and confidence. It’s about showing girls that their effort matters, and their moments matter—because people are showing up to witness them.”

In its pilot event in January 2025, Sweet and her team brought that energy to a girls’ basketball doubleheader at LFCDS. Her sixth-grade squad and the eighth-grade team faced off against East Lake Academy in front of a crowd more than twice the size of previous games.

The event featured music, balloon giveaways, dancers from the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance, and booming cheers from attendees.

“That was really cool,” says Madelyn Kohl, a rising seventh-grader and daughter of LFCDS senior kindergarten teacher Kimberly Kohl. “Hearing cheers after I faked a pass to one teammate and then passed the ball down low to another, who made a layup. To see as many people as I did that day made me feel good and more confident as I played. I looked around in the stands and saw and heard my friends and all these teachers supporting our team.”

Her mom, Kimberly Kohl, was struck by how the moment rippled.

“Elizabeth created something that brought the community together,” she says. “From start to finish, there was so much joy and connection. Kids shot T-shirts into the stands at halftime just like they do at Bulls games. Elizabeth is so passionate about instilling confidence in the athletes she coaches, and I’m grateful my daughter is one of them.”

That confidence, Sweet believes, is the real win.

“When life throws a fourth-quarter moment,” she says, “I hope they’ll want the ball, and think, ‘I’ll make the shot.’”

Sweet named her daughter, 3, and son, 6, Fill the Stands’ Co-CFOs—Chief Fun Officers. Other team members include Strategic Accelerator Emily Krall and Chief Media Mentor & Broadcast Specialist Chloe Marotta. Six local high school student-athletes serve on the organization’s Junior Advisory Board.

“In the offseason—we focus on getting girls to professional women’s games,” says Sweet, referring to initiatives like the Fill A Seat campaign, where donors purchase tickets to send deserving young athletes to see women compete at the highest level.

During the school year, Fill the Stands shifts its energy to local impact, aiming to elevate 10 targeted games—five at the middle school level, five at the high school level—during the 2025–2026 academic year. Meanwhile, the Junior Advisory Board is developing the FTS Toolkit, a downloadable guide filled with ideas for coaches, schools, and student-athletes to supercharge attendance and energy at girls’ games across all sports.

Back in the LFCDS gym, “our girls were signing autographs for young fans who ran up to the bench—nervous, just hoping for a high five,” Sweet recalls. “Players said they felt like stars. Their faces lit up, it was the sweetest thing.”

For rising eighth-grader Eloise Franklin, a post player for the Panthers, the game-day magic lingered.

“It was awesome,” she says. “It pumped everybody up. You could feel how much people appreciated the players and coaches. I’d love to experience that again.”

That connection—between players, fans, and the wider community—is what Fill the Stands is all about.

“One of my goals at every event is to create an experience where fans have fun, connect with the athletes, and genuinely look forward to the next game,” says Sweet. “I hope schools start adopting the strategies that work and make them standard practice.”

Sweet, a University of Wisconsin–Madison journalism grad, is currently earning her Master of Science in Sports Leadership at UW. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Dwell, and Milwaukee Magazine. In March, she was nominated for the Chicago Stars’ She Inspires Me Award, with honorees to be recognized at the Stars vs. Angel City FC match on November 2.

“I’m honored,” Sweet says. “Their support of Fill the Stands means so much. We’ll be promoting the match to spotlight their players and help drive attendance. Our goal is to fill 150 seats—so mark your calendars.”

Back home, Sweet’s team is gearing up for a full 2025–2026 school year of activations, from high school rivalry games to middle school debuts. Each one is an opportunity to bring girls into the spotlight—and keep them there.

Still, her ultimate dream is that someday, the stands won’t need filling at all.

“Our goal,” she says, “is to make Fill the Stands obsolete.”