Why is girls' sports participation still low and what are we doing about it?

It is a question that many have pondered for a long time. According to the Youth Sport Trust (2010) approximately 40% of girls drop out of sport by the age of 18. Sport participation research has considered many perspectives. The answers to this question that has been over looked is the continuation of barriers to young girls in playing sports. Of course boys also experience these barriers but it seems their female counterparts face a more challenging task in comparison. Essentially personal, cultural, social, religious, social, environmental, financial as well as practical are crucial barriers which are not easily overcome. All of which play a significant role in shaping girls' attitude towards sports (Goretzki & Esser, 2008). This will post will focus more on the practical, cultural, religious, and personal barriers.

 

Research shows that in relation to practical barriers the lack of funding is one of the biggest barriers for girls. Female sports attract less funding than males' almost at every level. In many communities across the UK girls' sport attract less sponsorship from businesses in the community. Unfortunately this has led to a substantial funding gap which means girls are left with poorer facilities, personal kit and sport equipment.

 

Another concern for girls is personal safety in the community, streets, on public transport, late times and in around sports venues. Girls who have disabilities and are members of an ethnic minority group particularly may feel vulnerable to crime. Furthermore, girls often face problems gaining access to where 'male sports' may be more favoured. This means that girls are often allocated with times that are inadequate or inconvenient. Access is also a barrier for girls with disabilities due to some venues providing inadequate facilities to cater for disabled people.

A major personal barrier for girls is body image as there is increasing pressure for society and media for girls to look a certain way. Some may feel self-conscious because of this. Additionally, the cost of clothing and equipment in sports such as Tennis can be expensive for those from poor background. It is also possible that a lack of confidence is also a personal barrier in many girls as they often feel less confident than boys due to body image. On a UK national level 37% of girls do not think they are good at sport and physical activity and 31% want more variety in PE and extra curricular activities (Sport Scotland, 2010). When it comes to personal choice girls often seem to like competition less than boys which may be the reason team sports are less popular amongst them.

Finally strict clothing requirements may stop some girls from certain groups (ethnic minority) due to religious and cultural differences. In this respect parental and adult influence can be a challenge. Some parents may not want to support their daughters to take part in sport because they don’t see it as significant or for cultural/religious reasons.

 

So what are we doing about it? To begin with Run Fun Starz has a whole another sub-section which is dedicated to girls in the community. This is the Female Sports Development Section . Its objective is to:

• To provide Flexy Sports Programmes that are adaptable to the personal needs of women and girls involved in our programmes

• To support and dedicate adequate resources to sports programmes for women and girls that will match their urge to participate and excel in sports.

• To bring enthusiasm to participation in sports amongst women and girls by working closely with schools, community activities groups, parents, employers, partnerships and businesses.

• To promote and support women and girls sport.

Young girls enjoying one of our
Games/Fitness sessions

To deal with the practical barriers we promote girls' sport and events by offering female only sessions and organising tournaments/competitions. We provide 19 different sports which means girls can take part in a variety of sports. Moreover we try to offer sponsorship where we see fit. This means girls are able to participate in good facilities, are provided with Run Fun Starz kit and equipment in the sessions. All the equipment we provide acknowledge the strength and size differences in girls compared to boys.

In terms of assisting girls who feel vulnerable and those with disabilities we have staff who are all trained to work with disabled people. This ensures we provide information in various formats to ensure all groups have equal access to information. All our sessions are delivered in female friendly environments which are created by the facility itself and the Run Fun Starz Coach. Because it is so important for us that like all participants, our female participants also feel positive in our sessions we provide free Run Fun Starz T-Shirts which girls have an option to wear in the programmes.

 

One of the key elements in the Flexy Sports Programme is the Psychological Element which works on boosting the motivation, confidence and self-awareness aspects of the participants. One way is our coaches adapt competitiveness of the sessions according to the group of girls as some girls like the competitive element. Coaches also promote beginner and intermediate activities for girls and women as fun, open and non-competitive. This very beneficial to girls lacking confidence when playing sports.

 

Run Fun Starz supports and helps parents to encourage their children's efforts in sports. We train our coaches to be motivating at all times and to take pride in being seen as a figure girls look up to. We have also ensured there are females from a range of ethnic backgrounds working in the coaching staff. They are very aware of about ethnic diversity and inclusive practice. Tolerance is taught to participants, parents, customers and staff across the services.

 As we are a newly founded company through our services we will continue the aim to use press release and good relations with local journalists and papers to promote and celebrate girls' achievements. Run Fun Starz will focus on including representatives of the community in our coverage: girls, members of the ethnic minority, disabled children, and deprived children.

However, with all the things Run Fun Starz are doing to help increase girls' sports participation we also recognise this is a task that cannot be completed by the Local Authorities alone or even ourselves. It needs a collective effort from all of spectres of society. We also acknowlege that many organisations are already working to change this. Businesses in the community should do their bit to help tackle the implications of girls' sport participation and work together with Local Authorities when given the opportunity.

Looking forward to your comments. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog.

Run Fun Starz Group ®

(Originally published 27/07/2010 via our Wordpress Blog).

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