Women in Sport

Be demanding📣 Women’s sport has come a long way, but we’re only just getting started. For 40 years we have fought for women and girls to be given their rightful place in sport and a seat at the table. But we’re no longer satisfied with just being in the room. We’re sitting down with government to demand a better deal for all women and girls in sport...and we need everyone – including so many great men – to stand with us. 💸 We deserve to receive fair funding in sport 🔥 We deserve to be 50% of leaders in sport ❌ We deserve to be protected from sexism and misogyny at all times This isn’t just a sport issue. It’s a women’s issue. It’s a fairness issue. To every leader, coach, policymaker, male ally - your voice matters in this fight. Stand with us. Because when women and girls thrive, sport thrives. Support our vision: https://lnkd.in/ep3zRGB2 🎵 Qube on uppbeat

THANK YOU💜🌟 A huge thank you to everyone who chose to support our charity this International Women’s Day! We saw some incredible fundraising efforts, including... 🏉 Football vs rugby showdown at the Uni of Kent, with their women’s teams learning each other’s sports and putting their skills to the test 🤸♀️ Women’s dance fit class at AOT Sports Fitness in Brentford 🎤 A discussion at Exeter university on the important issues facing women in sport today Without all of you, we wouldn’t be able to do our important work to keep women and girls in thriving in sport, for life. A special thank you to Adanola who partnered with us on IWD for the fourth year in a row. Their investment continues to support us on our mission to create a world where no girl is excluded from the joy, fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport. Do you have some fun ideas of how to support our charity? Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/ePR6uNjG #IWD #IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay

It pays to build a world where women and girls can be active🧘♀️ New research by Sheffield Hallam and Manchester Metropolitan universities has found that for every £1 invested in community sport and exercise, £4 will be reinvested into the economy. Yet currently the system is failing women. Only 61% of women are considered ‘active’ in England today*. This is more than fitness – this is a public health issue. According to Sport England, if properly prioritised and used as a preventative measure against illness, sport could save the NHS £10.5bn per year. Women are still being sidelined from sport and the consequences are serious: 🦴 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone, compared to 1 in 9 men 👵 1 in 5 women get Alzheimer’s compared to 1 in 10 men 🧠 Women are three times more likely than men to experience mental health problems. Sport can be a powerful antidote to these gendered health inequalities - but only if the system changes to truly include women and girls. It’s time to stop asking women to ‘just get active’ and start demanding sporting environments that truly work for them 📊 NICE, Alzheimer’s Society and Mental Health Foundation *Sport England England considers anyone who does 150 minutes of exercise per week to be ‘active’

We're excited to announce that we've been shortlisted at the Women's Football Awards⚽ Our #LetHerDream campaign, which has tracked girls' dream rates in sport over the past five years, has been shortlisted for Marketing Campaign of the Year🎉 Our latest research, which measures the impact of the Paris 2024 Olympics, shows that girls are dreaming of reaching the top of sport more than ever before. Finally, after years of exclusion, women and girls are starting to imagine themselves at the top of sport. But this is just the beginning. Now we have to get them there. Can you support our charity? Vote for us here: https://lnkd.in/dBEKrWVc #WFA25

How can the curriculum foster a love of sport for girls? The Government’s digital culture, media and sport committee recently held an inquiry into the activity levels of children and young people today, and how PE and school sport can help. The committee’s Chair, Dame Caroline Dinenage set out that here were 41,000 fewer hours of PE taught in the last academic year compared to 2011-12. Children now also have, on average, 20 minutes less play time at school than they did 30 years ago. Our charity has been giving evidence to the school curriculum review, sharing our research into how school sport and PE could work better for girls. We would like the school curriculum to: 🤸♀️Make sure girls have access to single sex sport, in school and in the community. 🩸 Empower girls to understand their own bodies with better education about periods and puberty. 📑 Support teachers and coaches to support girls, with training on female physiology and gender stereotyping. For many girls, school is their first – and sometimes only – encounter with sport and exercise... we must make sure it is a positive one. Support our work today: https://lnkd.in/dHaY4RVf

"Racism could have stopped me swimming” In 2021, Alice Dearing OLY made history as the first Black female swimmer to represent Team GB at an Olympic Games, but her journey was far from easy. Alice has spoken about her experiences of being Black in a predominantly white sport, and how it has made her journey to the top particularly difficult, including on one occasion being racially harassed by an opponent’s coach. Access to swimming has historically been limited in the Black community, with Swim England research showing that 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children do not swim. As a result, the risk of drowning is higher amongst Black and other global majority communities, leading to water phobia being passed down from generation to generation. That’s why in 2020, she co-founded the The Black Swimming Association (BSA), working to give people of African, Caribbean, and Asian heritage the opportunity to learn how to swim and be safe around water. 🏊🏿♀️🌊💙 Together with our partners Wasserman Live we aim to shed light on the true pioneers of women's sport, from past to present day. Who is your unsung hero? Let us know in the comments 📩

Right now, the next generation of Lionesses are taking their first steps onto their local pitch, but who is looking out for them? We are concerned to hear that the Government is considering removing Sport England from the list of organisations who must be consulted on planning applications. Sport England are the only expert consultees who specifically aim to protect spaces for sport and the only statutory consultee championing the opportunity for women and girls to be active. Removing their expertise from the planning process could have a hugely detrimental impact: on women and girls, on English sport and on the Government’s missions to increase opportunity for all and improve the health of the nation. Read our statement in full: https://lnkd.in/egqVRkvp

“Sport has the power to divide us further or to unite us”🔥 Women in Sport’s Chair, Julia Newton made one thing clear at our conference last November: we must not be complacent. In sport, and in society at large, we are facing a backlash against the recent wins made for women’s rights: misogyny is on the rise, 1 in 4 Gen Z males think feminism “has gone too far” and violence against women and girls is rife. It is no different in sport. From birth, girls are held back by stereotypes and institutional bias, limiting far too many to a life on the side-lines. We must tackle these prejudices, so that every woman and girl can claim her rightful place in sport. We need your help to continue our vital work. Become a monthly giver today: https://lnkd.in/eK7VvQzD

International Women’s Day. All Day. Every Day. For the last 40 years. And for the next 40. We exist to make sure no woman or girl is excluded from the joy, fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport. Support our mission today: https://lnkd.in/ep3zRGB2 #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #IWD2025

"Gender equality benefits everyone, not just women." Congratulations to Professor Elizabeth Pike for winning this year's Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion award from the International Olympic Committee🎉 Elizabeth has spent the last 30 years researching women's sport, using her findings to create life-changing opportunities for women in sport. This is the first time anyone from the UK has won the award, which recognises outstanding contribution to gender equality in and through sport. Upon receiving the award, Elizabeth said: "I am honoured that the IOC has recognised the small part that I have played in helping unlock the full potential of talented individuals. “We know that girls who play sports develop confidence, can learn to work in teams, tend to stay in school longer and often get better jobs. “We also know engagement in sports has significant physical, mental and social benefits for older women, particularly in those activities that emphasise social interaction, and that in itself can challenge gender and age stereotypes to advance gender equality across all ages.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eDgWah6n