Doorstep sport to create 30,000 active women

Jan. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- A new project that will get 30,000 women playing ‘doorstep sport’ was unveiled today after Sport England agreed a National Lottery investment of £2.295 million.

Active Women, which will be delivered in 47 of the most disadvantaged areas in England including Hastings, Wigan and Bristol, will offer 16- to 25-year-old women innovative and engaging ways to participate in sport. It will also see over 200 events and festivals organised, 1700 new coaches and volunteers recruited and 1260 qualifications gained by those taking part.

Examples of the sporting opportunities on offer include:

1.   Sports taster sessions, open evening events and festivals for women living on housing estates in Milton Keynes where issues such as cost, transport and access to facilities prevent them from taking part in sport.*
2.   Regular sport sessions including swimming, jogging and boxing, and community group activities, focused on building self-esteem and confidence for young women in Liverpool.**
3.   11 week dance exercise and ‘boxfit’ courses delivered at convenient times for women in Hammersmith and Fulham in London. New local coaches and instructors will be trained up to help grow the project.***

The project is one of 20 being funded by Sport England to boost women’s participation in sport, especially those who care for children or who live in disadvantaged communities because they face some of the biggest barriers to participation.

Last month (Dec 2010), new Sport England figures revealed the size of the gender gap in sport. At present, one in eight (2.761 million) women regularly play sport in England. Whilst this has increased significantly in the past five years, it still trails behind men’s participation, with one in five (4.176 million) taking part. Sport England figures also show that women from disadvantaged communities play even less sport, with fewer than one in 10 women taking part.

Active Women is being delivered by a consortium of 62 organisations, led by the multi-award winning youth sports development charity StreetGames.

Jane Ashworth, Chief Executive of StreetGames, said:

“This groundbreaking project is one of the biggest mobilisations of women in sport ever. It will see the expertise and experience of a vast range of organisations pooled together to establish new interventions, new training packages and new ways of thinking that will grow and sustain participation in sport by young women from areas of significant disadvantage. The project will play a significant role in ensuring a legacy for women's sport well beyond the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The targeted investment will support more women from disadvantaged communities - and women caring for children – to play sport as part of the drive to deliver a mass participation legacy from London 2012.

Jennie Price, Sport England’s Chief Executive, said:

“For many women with children or those managing a tight budget, sport – and time to themselves - can slip down the list of priorities. The projects we’re funding today have asked local women what is preventing them from getting involved and what sports interest them, before coming up with an offer that is appealing and accessible.”

Today’s announcement was welcomed by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP and Gail Emms - one of Britain’s greatest ever badminton players, who won World Championship Gold and Olympic Silver medals.

Hugh Robertson said:

“We have many fantastic female athletes in this country, but not enough women participating at sport’s grassroots. More needs to be done to encourage women to participate in sport, particularly those from disadvantaged communities. The £10 million being invested by Sport England will give women the chance to try out new sports as part of a dedicated programme and hopefully keep them in sport in the future.”

Gail, who became a mum nine months ago with the arrival of Harry, said:

“As a new mum, I know only too well how difficult it can be to make time for yourself and to get out there and play sport. The projects receiving investment from Sport England today will make a big difference because they’ve really thought through the challenges women face in becoming regular sports participants.”

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StreetGames is an award winning national charity dedicated to developing sporting opportunities for young people living in disadvantaged communities.