Creating Inclusive Spaces For Women To Be Physically Active
How can we create inclusive environments for women?
Date: 8 March 2024 Author: Energise Me
According to YouGov, only 12% of women in physical activity settings completed a coaching or instructor qualification in 2022. You can help to close the gap in gender inequality. This is the time to invest in the female workforce.
Investing doesn’t just mean financially. It can mean providing women with the time to ask questions and share their ideas, the opportunity to try something new or mentoring support. There’s also a range of training and events that you could signpost your female workforce to, letting them know it’s okay to take the time to participate.
Having a diverse coaching and volunteer workforce provides participants, particularly women and girls, with role models they can relate to. Seeing more women in leadership positions will help others realise that no dream is out of bounds.
Women can bring different perspectives to the physical activity workforce, often drawing on their own experiences to approach participants’ barriers.
According to YouGov, 36% of women coach younger children (aged between 5-9) compared to 21% of men. The We Can Be Active strategy highlights the importance of positive early experiences, so the more members of the workforce helping to inspire young people to live active lives, the better!
Buddle is Sport England’s free learning tool is filled with guidance, templates and training opportunities that cover a range of topics that will enhance your club or community group.
Project 500 is a network of women supporting each other in the physical activity sector. Over 277 women across Hampshire and Isle of Wight are connecting, asking questions and sharing learnings with each other. On this Facebook group, free training opportunities and events are often shared to help women develop their knowledge and skills.
Project 500 members can also receive funding for their Level 1 coaching qualification to help women begin their coaching journeys. (Get your applications in soon, the deadline for this is 22nd March 2024!)
Women In Sport has a great research and insights section. Covering a range of topics you can access case studies, research reports and toolkits at the click of a button.
UK Coaching’s Women Who Coach: Toolkit is a digital guide to help women develop in their coaching roles, grow their confidence and turn obstacles into opportunities. Advice, tips and inspirational stories are available to encourage women to step into coaching roles and empower those already in their roles.
It’s always a good idea to check National Governing Body’s or organisation’s websites to see what they’re offering. Hampshire FA, for example, offer female only courses like coaching football or refereeing football.
UK Coaching will often share female only programmes or training opportunities throughout the year. So check back in every so often to see if there’s anything for you.
International Working Group on Women and Sport have an insight hub that cover global insights to empower and advance women and girls in sport and physical activity.
Active Women and Girls Foundation exist to reduce the barriers that women and girls face trying to participate in physical activity. They have a range of programmes (from covering the cost of coaching qualifications to covering the cost of participants’ equipment) that you may be able to benefit from.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
