Why care about girls and sport?

At We are Girls in Sport, we are often asked, “What is important about girls and sport?”. It goes without saying that sport benefits both girls and boys, men and women throughout their lives, however if you look closely at the statistics of girls in sport, especially during the early teenage years, the numbers are alarming.

Studies have shown that teenage girls are significantly less active than teenage boys, with only 10% of girls aged 13-16 meeting the recommended daily guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity per day (Sport England, 2018).
According to research, by the age of 13, one in two young women drop out of sport. They are three times more likely to drop out than boys (Sports Joe).

The leading UK charity, Women in Sport, reviewed over 30 reports, shared knowledge and developed thinking together with 25 other organisations both from inside and outside the sports’ sector to put the spotlight on what is happening in the world of teenage girls. They found that as girls go through their teenage years, habits and attitudes are formed which have a critical impact on their future engagement in sport and physical activity. Barriers to exercise created at this age can result in inhibiting participation throughout life, with girls missing out on the lifelong benefits of sport.

A report by the US based organisation ‘Women’s Sport Foundation’ found that by age 14, many girls are dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys. One of the reasons that they stop participating in sports is quite simply the lack of access. Girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys. Lack of physical education in schools and limited opportunities to play sports in both high school and college mean girls have to look elsewhere for sports –which may not exist or may cost more money. Often there is an additional lack of access to adequate playing facilities near their homes that makes it more difficult for girls to engage in sports.

And girls need sport just as much as boys. Girls who are physically active have greater body confidence, have better self-esteem, experience healthy mental well-being and are fitter, as well as gaining essential skills that they can take through life and into the workplace such as leadership, teamwork, communication and resilience.