Sport England today revealed the sports projects that
will benefit from a £10 million National Lottery fund to encourage
Active Women and tackle the gender gap in sport.
The targeted investment will support 20 projects to get
more women from disadvantaged communities - and women caring for
children - playing sport as part of the drive to deliver a mass
participation legacy from London 2012.
Figures published by Sport England in December 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. Women from disadvantaged communities play even less sport,
with less than one in 10 women taking part.
Through Active Women, sports groups, charities and others
organisations across the country were challenged to consult local
women and then develop sporting projects that dealt with the
barriers to participation they highlighted.
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 stopping 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.”
Chosen through a competitive process, the investment decisions
announced today include:
- Netball in the City – which will get over
12,000 women back on the court in Bristol, Leeds, London,
Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Wolverhampton. More than £1
million has been awarded to England Netball for the project, which
will provide fun and accessible sporting opportunities, through
both traditional and modified versions of netball
- A council’s domestic violence team will receive £154,509 to run
a sports project at Hyndburn in Lancashire for women who’ve
suffered abuse. Fit, Free & Fabulous will use
the power of sport to help women to improve their health and
self-esteem.
- £2.295 million has been awarded to a project that will get
30,000 women playing ‘doorstep sports’ in 49 of the most
disadvantaged areas in England. Delivered by a consortium of sports
organisations, led by charity StreetGames, it will
also see over 200 events and festivals organised and 1,700 new
coaches and volunteers recruited.
- A grant of £147,000 is going to Southampton charity
Catch 22 for a project that will introduce women
to activities such as boxercise, badminton, swimming and canoeing.
Childcare will be provided for mums and lots of local sessions will
be offered at a very low cost, with keen participants encouraged to
stay on as volunteers or take coaching badges.
- A National Women's Cycling Network will be
created thanks to a £992,159 investment which will see 80,000 women
getting on their bikes. British Cycling will: recruit cycling
champions to organise led-rides and inspire others to take part;
recruit women cycling instructors to teach basic skills and help
people gain confidence on the roads; and organise nine women-only
mass cycling events.
Sue Tibballs, the Chief Executive of the Women’s Sport and
Fitness Foundation, said:
“WSFF welcomes Sport England’s investment to increase the number
of women from disadvantaged communities and mothers playing sport.
Women make up over 50% of the population, yet despite this, many
often find it hard to access sport due to a complex set of barriers
and practical requirements. Projects tailored specifically to meet
the needs of female participants are hugely beneficial and support
our goal of creating a nation of active women.”
Active Women awards