Stronger Together: Women in Sport

When women come together with an aim to succeed, it creates something powerful. Whether the aim is to improve, to grow or to inspire, if women do it together, anything seems possible. As cheesy as it sounds, it is the truth and it’s happening right now. Women have discovered that they’re better together, especially in sport.

Last week Danielle attended the “Insight: On Tour” in Devon which was run by Women In Sport in partnership with Active Devon. This workshop focused on the influencers and role models for the benefit of women and girls within sport. I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. As well as taking away knowledge and idea’s from this event, I also gained a newly found passion to promote women’s sport (so be prepared to see a little more of this!) It was also the launch of the This Girl Can campaign in Devon #DevonGirlsCan where we were introduced to the ambassadors and their inspiring stories. I was truly amazed by the excitement and passion that was shown by all of the women within the room and I wanted to share this feeling with them. The whole experience made me want to be a part of this growing group of people actively inspiring and supporting women within sport. I could see that it was going to be something FAB! The campaign, This Girl Can is hopefully something you’ve heard of and if you haven’t – you have now! It’s a National campaign developed by Sport England as a celebration of active women around the country who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets. When looking at the facts and figures of women’s sport, you can see why this campaign is important but it is making a difference.

Research is currently being done to explore why women get involved in sport, what motivates them and who inspires them. The results of this research will then hopefully help in encouraging other women to take part in sport. It’s also important to look at the barriers stopping women from taking part in sport so that we can all be proactive in helping women jump and leap over those barriers. Women In Sport are currently deep within the research and they have lots of results on their website.

In the UK there are more men than women playing sport. Consequently, this means that more women are missing out on the physical, mental and well being benefits of sport. Exercise can also be a good way to interact with other people and make friends. Its benefits are honestly too important to miss out on so why should you. If you don’t currently do any exercise, or haven’t for a while, it doesn’t take much to get you going. Even doing the smallest amount extra within your day can still reduce the risks of certain long term health conditions. There are lots of activities that you can get yourself involved in, there is definitely something for everyone. Speak to people, reach out and find out more about the clubs in your area. I just feel it’s important to get involved with a group, whether it be a National group (This Girl Can), virtual group (Facebook group) or local group (local club).

​We are stronger together.