Tuesday 13 January 2015 11:24, UK
A Sport England campaign designed to help women become more active has been launched.
The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign aims to break down the barriers preventing women from exercising regularly by seeking to tell the real story of women who play sport.
Using images that are the opposite of the idealised and stylised images of women often used in advertising, ‘This Girl Can’ hopes to prompt a change in attitudes and help boost women’s confidence.
The campaign will use prime time TV advertising, billboards and cinema and shopping centre screens to put images of real women exercising on the national stage and use social media to start a debate about attitudes to female sport.
Research carried out by Sport England reveals that fewer women than men play sport regularly - two million fewer 14-40 year olds in total.
Further research found that many women - of all ages – are put off exercising by a fear of being judged on their appearance or ability.
Sport England CEO, Jennie Price, said: “The figures on participation are crystal clear. There is a significant gender gap, with two million more men than women exercising or playing sport regularly.
“I believe we can tackle this gap, because our research shows that 75% of women would like to do more.
In This Girl Can we want to tell the real story of women who exercise and play sport
“Before we began this campaign, we looked very carefully at what women were saying about why they felt sport and exercise was not for them. Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar, but one of the strongest themes was a fear of judgement.
“Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and again. Every single woman I have talked to about this campaign – and that is now hundreds – has identified with this, and it is that fear of not being ‘good enough’ in some way, and the fear that you are the only one who feels like that, that we want to address.
“In This Girl Can we want to tell the real story of women who exercise and play sport. They come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of ability.
“If you are wondering if you should join them – or carry on – this campaign says it really doesn’t matter if you are a bit rubbish or completely brilliant, the main thing is that you are a woman and you are doing something, and that deserves to be celebrated.”
As part of the campaign, Sport England is working with sports bodies, local authorities and companies across England to make sure they are providing sporting opportunities that meet the needs of women inspired by the campaign.
For more about This Girl Can, go to thisgirlcan.co.uk where you can find out about the women in the campaign, get tips on how to get active and join the national debate.
Find out more about the 'This Girl Can' campaign on Sportswomen, which will be broadcast on Sky Sports News HQ at 11:30am.
