Women in Sport

We’re pleased to announce that one of our charity’s co-founders, Dr Anita White, has received the CBE in 2025’s New Year Honours. Anita was one of the key voices during Women in Sport’s early years as part of the founding group and subsequent Chair of the charity. What is Anita's sporting story?🏑 Anita captained the England Hockey team to World Cup victory in 1975, having played for England from 1971-76, winning 42 caps. There was almost no recognition at the time and she and her teammates were denied the chance at an Olympic medal because they played in an era when many women’s sports and events were excluded from the Games. Men’s hockey had been a regular feature of the Olympics since 1908. Anita wanted a different experience and fresh opportunities for others. In 1984 she was among a group of remarkable women who created the Women’s Sport Foundation (now the charity Women in Sport) to challenge the male dominance and outright sexism of British sport. We’re so glad to say that Anita is still involved in Women in Sport today, and that our charity, and women’s sport as a whole, is a better place thanks to her. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e-NWJgS9 IWG Women & Sport

More girls are dreaming of reaching the top of sport than ever before🤩 Our latest research following the Paris 2024 Olympics shows that 38% of girls now dream of reaching the top in sport – a significant rise from 29% in 2023. This shows just how important visibility is to young girls for them to believe they belong in sport. However, a significant gender gap persists, with 59% of boys aspiring to reach the top in sport. This is especially important considering the huge drop off we see in girls’ teenage years, with 1.3 million girls dropping out who once loved sport. When girls are allowed to dream, they can see there is a future for themselves in sport - a future where they feel they can truly belong 😭 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eE8TbgWN

A WORLD first🤩 In November, the inaugural Women’s Amputee Football World Cup was held in Colombia, bringing together 10 countries including the USA, Ukraine, Cameroon and England. After an epic fundraiser, the England team were finally able to travel to Colombia to play out their dreams on the world stage. While the team came fifth, 16-year-old Annabel Kiki from Staffordshire was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring the most goals throughout the tournament. Speaking to the BBC, she said... "I never thought I'd go to a World Cup, let alone win a Golden Boot, so I really want to use it to inspire others." This is one just one event in our series of the most pivotal moments in women’s sport this year. We want to hear from you – what was your favourite women’s sport moment from 2024?✍

THIS is changing the game for teenage girls in sport⬇️ One of our proudest moments of the year has to be rolling out our Big Sister project to teenage girls across England. In partnership with Places Leisure, we’re providing free and discounted gym membership to girls aged 9-15, along with girls-only sessions and advice. After a successful Big Sister pilot project Places Leisure has now rolled out Big Sister to ALL its centres in England, giving more girls the chance to access sport. Here’s what one 11-year-old girl who took part in the pilot had to say… “I got to go swimming loads, my mum has 5 girls so we can’t afford to go a lot but with Big Sister we could go all the time. I learned how to swim… I wouldn’t have done this so quickly if it wasn’t for the free swimming… thank you.” Read more about Big Sister here: https://lnkd.in/eHQFztEH Places Leisure Places for People

There’s a lot of moments to celebrate when it comes to women’s sport in 2024... BUT we’d be ignoring a very real problem if we didn’t mention some of the things still holding us back from true gender equality. All around us, sexism and misogyny seem to be more commonplace and frighteningly, more acceptable, especially on social media and amongst the younger generation. Statistics from THIS YEAR show... ⚽ 52% of women say they have experienced sexist behaviour or language at live football matches (Kick It Out) 📱 1 in 4 elite sportswomen have received social media abuse of a sexual nature (BBC) 🚹 16% of Gen Z males think feminism has gone too far (King’s College and Global Institute for Women’s Leadership) At Women in Sport, we’re calling on the Government to tackle this issue by legislating against misogyny and introducing specific training and policies to ensure no woman suffers abuse simply because she is female. Read more about how we want the government and sports bodies to tackle misogyny: https://lnkd.in/eM4rUp3Q

GB's first Olympic women's team sprint gold🥇 For number 9 in our top women’s sport moments of 2024, we’re pedalling all the way back to the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Paris, where Great Britain won the women’s team sprint cycling title. Not only that, but the dream team, made up Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant, also set a world record of of 45.186 seconds🤩 Having not qualified a GB team for this event in Tokyo or Rio, this team really was keen to prove themselves, and they did it in style. Speaking on the achievement, Emma Finucane said... "We smashed it, and I know how hard we've worked back home. All those tears we've cried, all those moments our legs have been hurting, it's all been worth it. "No-one can take this off us now. We're always going to be Olympic team sprint champions. I can't believe I’m saying it." This is one just one event in our series of the most pivotal moments in women’s sport this year. We want to hear from you – what was your favourite women’s sport moment from 2024?✍

An image for the history books📸 In Paris 2024, we saw the first ever all-black Olympic gymnastics podium when Rebecca Andrade, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles claimed their medals🥇 This is especially important considering our research, which reveals: ➡️ Only 35% of Black British girls meet the recommended physical activity levels (Sport England). ➡️ Yet they report the most positive attitudes towards sport of all ethnic groups. ➡️ 62% of Black British girls dream of reaching the top in sport, compared to just 24% of White British girls. Despite their passion and aspirations, Black British girls remain among the least active groups. We want to bridge this gap. That’s why we’ve launched an innovative study exploring the needs and experiences of Black British girls in sport, supported by 8 National Governing Bodies of sport. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e-Thzwr4 This is one just one event in our series of the most pivotal moments in women’s sport this year. We want to hear from you – what was your favourite women’s sport moment from 2024?✍

It’s 2024 and women should be able to wear what they want 📣 While we’re reflecting on the pivotal moments of women’s sport this year, we can’t help but mention the very real barriers women and girls still face on a daily basis. Recent stats show... 👟 58% of girls say they would like more options to choose from for school PE kit (Youth Sport Trust) 😥 61% of girls feel judged when doing sport and exercise (WiS) ⚽ 80% of female players at top European clubs have suffered regular discomfort because of their football boots (European Clubs Association) It is not okay that women and girls are being pushed out of sport due to restrictive, and often revealing, clothing options that make them feel uncomfortable, exposed and vulnerable. Sport can give women and girls joy, resilience, self-belief and a sense of belonging, and kit should NOT get in the way of that.

Live podcasts from our 40th anniversary conference🎙️ In November 2024, Women in Sport held our 40th anniversary conference in London. To capture the insightful conversations between some of the leaders in sport, education, business and politics, we're releasing special edition podcast episodes so everyone in our wider network can listen and contribute to the conversation. There are two episodes out now... 💥 Part 1 - Why We're Still Here with Lisa O'Keefe MBE, Kelly Simmons OBE and Paula Dunn MBE OLY delves into the barriers these high-profile women in sport have faced during their careers, and how much more needs to be done to achieve true equality 📩 Part 2 - Why Business Matters hears from four senior figures in the business world, chaired by Dame Katherine Grainger, to understand how they have put women's sport at the heart of their corporate agendas at Vitality, Metro Bank, Future Thinking UK (now Savanta) and Wasserman. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eNyk2nhU

"The world has never needed this more." As 2024 comes to an end, our CEO Stephanie Hilborne OBE reflects on the strides our charity has made in its 40th anniversary year. Our voice is louder than ever before, and we have been able to sit down with leaders in government, education, business and media to ensure every corner of society understands the vital role they play in securing a fairer future for women and girls. But our job is not yet done... "As we enter a new era of polarisation, face a new wave of backlash, a new kind of oppression, a new division between the sexes on a global scale, the world has never needed this more." says Stephanie. "Left unchanged sport has the potential to fuel further misogyny and division." "But sport also has the potential to bring us together and act as an immense uniting force." Read the full blog: https://lnkd.in/evht-cfR