Active People Survey 2009-10: women's sport participation
NEW for 2011, this factsheet highlights the key findings for women's sports participation from the 2009-10 Active People Survey.
• 2.76 million women (12.8%) take part in regular sport every week, this is a non-significant increase since 2008-09
• Swimming, gym and athletics are the most participanted in sports by women
• Women who have a household (hh) income of over £52,000 are more than three times as likely to be active as women with a hh income less than £15,600
Teenage drop out
For many sports, retaining women and girls in sport provides a different and unique challenge.
WSFF commissioned the Futures Company to carry out a definitive piece of research to identify key reasons (practical, psycho-social and individual sport specific) for young women dropping out of sport, and identify further interventions to shape a new future.
The research was designed to gain a deeper insight around drivers and barriers to participation amongst a key group of 16 to 19 year old girls as well as understanding sport-specific motivations.
Young women and girls' physical activity
This factsheet summarises the recent key findings on young women and girls' physical activity.
It brings together quantitative data from a number of sources including the NHS Information Centre; Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF); Youth Sport Trust (YST); Girlguiding UK; and WSFF.
Last updated 20 December 2010
- Just a quarter of girls meet current recommended levels of physical activity a week
- Female drop off in sport starts earlier than males’ and is also more dramatic
- Despite PE being compulsory in schools, one in five girls still does no activity in a week. This is twice the proportion of boys
- For girls, being fit and healthy is the most popular reason for taking part in PE/sport. Other motivations include working as a team, making friends, being considerate and helping them to think about others
- Girls think sports traditionally played by boys, such as rugby and football, are seen (by society) to be more important that sports played by girls
Futsal Fever
Futsal Fever is a project which targets females aged 16+ who attend FE and HE institutes across Bedfordshire.
Women and sport at university
In September 2009 WSFF delivered a workshop at the annual BUCS conference. This factsheet captures some of the key elements of the presentation and the discussion that took place.
Teenage girls and dropout
This factsheet explains the reasons why teenagers drop out of sport, and provides solutions for NGBs, clubs and coaches for retaining them.
It was first recognised in the 1957 Wolfendon Report that teenage girls were dropping out of sport at a faster rate than boys, this remains the case and unless the sport's sector acts this will not change.
The Energy Project
The Energy Project
This handbook documents the journey, research and findings of The Energy Project, a study that aimed to find ways to increase physical activity among schoolgirls, at both primary and secondary level, through the creative use of existing school time. The ultimate aim was to help sow the seeds of active lifestyles that would stand girls in good stead for the rest of their lives.
if you’re interested in encouraging more girls and boys to take part in and benefit from physical activity, this guide is for you.
Sweat in the City
Sweat in the City (SitC) was an innovation research project to help to find out why 16- 24 year old women are half as active as men of the same age. With the help of a feminine brand, celebrity ambassadors and a chance to discover a ‘fitter and healthier you’, over 2000 young women across London were recruited and provided with a three-month free and mentored gym membership.
Sweat in the City: How 2000 young women discovered the positive power of exercise
This report details the innovative research project Sweat in the City which project provided over 2000 inactive 16 – 24 year old women a three month free and mentored gym membership and followed their journey.
The project was designed to gain a better understanding of how to motivate women to become more active. Today, 16 year-old girls leave school half as active as their male counterparts, often with a negative attitude to sport and fitness and with critically low levels of confidence. This programme set out to create a fitness experience that would appeal to this audience, change their attitude to exercise and lead to a more active and healthier way of life.
SitC was designed and delivered by a partnership between the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) and the Fitness Industry Association (FIA).
Key elements of the programme were personal mentoring and opportunities to ‘meet’ other participants through group sessions and via the SitC website. The young women were successfully recruited with the help of a feminine brand and celebrity ambassadors who fronted a tailored PR campaign. All that was asked in return was for the women to share their highs, lows, aches and pains with us through surveys, focus groups and online diaries.
The results surpassed even our highest hopes:
• Six months after completing the programme, 72% of participants are more active than they were before
• Before the programme, 63% of participants were worried about what they looked like when they exercised. This dropped to just under half
• 88% of participants agreed that ‘SitC has reminded me how good it feels to be active’
• Three-quarters of the young women now have increased confidence to go on and try new activities
“There is no way that I am giving exercise up again now, I feel so much better in myself – better mood, lots more energy etc. Even though I don’t always want to go to the gym, I know I’ll feel so much better once I’ve actually been!”
