The news of an extra £63million funding for community leisure centres with pools in yesterday’s Budget is welcome. Although it is not a complete solution to the challenges facing the leisure sector, it will provide the facilities most at risk of closure and cuts with the urgent funding they need this year. We know that women and girls are disproportionately dependent on pools and leisure facilities to be active. The statistics are stark: Sport England data shows that in 2020-21 over 4million women took an exercise class compared to less than 1.5million men, whilst 1.1million women went swimmin ..read more

Girls as young as five years old are being bombarded by messages and labels that undermine their self-belief, crush their confidence, and make them feel as though sport is not a place for them. Research from charity Women in Sport, released to coincide with International Women’s Day, has found girls are hearing and seeing daily messages which imply that they are not as competitive or as good at sport as boys and that they don’t belong in sport. “When we play badminton, the teachers don’t tell me I’m doing well, but seem to notice the boys more when they are doing something good in football.” 9 ..read more

Today, on International Women’s Day, the Government has announced more than £600 million of funding which will be invested in school sport over the next two years. The funding will support schools to offer equal access to the same range of sports for girls and boys as well as offer two hours of PE every week. The announcement comes seven months after the Lionesses incredible victory at the Euros, and the campaign that followed to pave the way for girls across the country to have more access to sport. The Lionesses inspired the nation with their demonstration of the joy and freedom of women’s s ..read more

Just 36% of girls aged 11-18 wear a sports bra when participating in PE or sport at school. This has a negative impact on their experience of sport, with more than two-thirds (69%) admitting they cannot jump or run about freely and 72% that they feel self-conscious about movement or bounce. International activewear brand Stronger carried out the study in partnership with leading UK charity Women in Sport, to explore how girls feel about school sports kit. Of the 1,000 secondary school girls questioned, 84% believe it’s essential to wear the right bra for sport and exercise, yet 6-in-10 girls o ..read more

I’m Lisa Waterman, a mum of two and I have always secretly wanted to be a black belt in karate!  Where it all started… It all started in my early teens when I watched the film Karate Kid for the first time. Apart from the self-defence aspect, the culture and teachings behind the martial art interested me, too. The importance of balance in your life, the fact that hard work pays off and commitment is needed to achieve your goals. It was inspiring to watch and that was when the seed was sown. Although sport was never really my thing and as a girly girl, I didn’t even consider karate a poss ..read more

Jayne Haines MBE is to step down as Chair and trustee of Women in Sport in March, after nine years with the charity. During that time Jayne has led the development of the Board, appointed CEO Stephanie Hilborne, and ensured a new five-year strategy is taking the mission forward. Jayne leaves to take up the new role of Chair of Berkshire Cricket Foundation, becoming the first female to be appointed to the position. Women in Sport is the longest standing voice for women in sport. Jayne joined the Board in 2013, assumed the Chair in 2018 and has been a particular champion for greater female repre ..read more

Women in Sport is delighted to see some key figures from women’s sport recognised in the New Year’s Honours list. This year has been an exceptional one for female athletes and teams.  From the Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Rugby Union and Rugby League World Cups to the outstanding triumph of the Lionesses in the European Football Championships, all have propelled women’s sport forward. Record attendances and viewing figures have demonstrated that people love to watch great women’s sport. Increased visibility and profile on free-to-air TV and in the press has transformed attitudes a ..read more

So 2022 is drawing to a close and what a year!  In February we saw women smashing the fear barriers at the Winter Olympics and some really moving scenes of camaraderie.  Our memories of the Summer remain vivid too – the glory of our joyful skilful Lionesses will stay in our hearts for a long time as will the roar of the crowds as Eilish McColgan won the 10,000m Commonwealth Gold.  Spectacular cricket gave way to women’s rugby taking centre stage and wiping out any remaining seeds of doubt as to whether this is a game for women. There has been other progress in women’s sport whic ..read more

The latest Sport England Active Lives Children and Young People 2021-22 survey records some positive headlines. Overall activity levels for children and young people appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels. However, it is a rise in activity levels among 7-16 year-old boys that is driving the increase, with girls remaining less active than boys in every school year. Overall activity levels are well below ideal and there are some stark gender gaps as well as racial and economic inequalities playing out. In the least affluent families only 42% of children and young people are getting at lea ..read more

Sarah Bellew is strategic communications manager at Women in Sport and also plays touch rugby for England. She reflects on the impact of the Rugby Union and Rugby League World Cup Sport can be a cruel place, there highs and lows, winners and losers. It is a never-ending rollercoaster. For England women’s rugby teams their respective World Cup campaigns ended in heartbreak this week at the hands of New Zealand. They may be different codes, one professional and one amateur, but the similarities far outweigh the differences. These are women who grew up in a society that told them that rugby was ..read more