IMPACT REPORT
2023-24
40 YEARS STRONG - DONATE TODAY
40 YEARS STRONG - DONATE TODAY
The charity Women in Sport was founded in 1984 and has researched, innovated and influenced tirelessly ever since.
WE BELIEVE
SPORT
TRANSFORMS
LIVES
It can give girls and women resilience, courage, self-belief, and a sense of belonging as well as developing vital life skills like leadership and teamwork.
Our vision is that no-one is excluded from the joy, fulfilment, and lifelong benefits of sport.
We know gender stereotypes and institutional bias are holding girls and women back from sport, and in life, and we believe that:
It is wrong to deny women and girls access to sports
The distinct physicality of women and girls must be understood and reflected in sport
When sport includes women and girls, it helps to tackle gendered economic and health inequalities
WORDS FROM OUR CEO
Our purpose is to create lasting positive change for women and girls in sport and society.
To achieve this, we aim to:
Creating a new generation of male allies
Our groundbreaking research into the attitudes and behaviour of young boys towards girls in sport found:
Boys as young as five have learned that sport is not for girls.
Sport is wrapped up with masculinity and status which can lead to negative behaviours towards girls in the playground and on the pitch.
Sporting environments reinforce stereotypes and inequality.
I have seen a girl in a team make a mistake and the boys being critical of her rather than supportive, which they would not necessarily do if another boy had made the error.
Female PE Teacher
My uncle said that I have to be 10 times better than girls.
Primary Aged Boy
Daring to Dream
Following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup we undertook our third survey of 13–24-year-olds to discover how elite women’s sport has inspired girls. We discovered:
9 in 10 girls said watching the football made them feel proud and happy.
But the overall number of girls dreaming of reaching the top in sport has fallen slightly, with 29% of girls dreaming of reaching the top in sport, compared to over half of boys.
Black girls are dreaming the most by a long way, yet they have the lowest activity levels of all groups. They are being let down in sport and we are determined to work out how to change this.
I absolutely love the Lionesses. They are such great role models for girls and women of all ages, despite Spain winning the Women’s World Cup. It’s shone a light for girls in football and clearly highlighted the inequality of women in sport.
Female Participant, aged 21
Deaf teenage
girls are being sidelined
in Sport
In partnership with UK Deaf Sport we discovered that deaf teenage girls are more likely to drop out of sport than their hearing peers due to additional barriers such as a lack of appropriate activities outside of school, feelings of exclusion in hearing environments and biases against them. In response we developed actionable recommendations to create more inclusive environments in sport for deaf teenage girls.
People need to stop teasing and being unkind because we’re deaf. I’m the only girl in my boxing club. The boys wind me up for being a girl and for my deafness
Teenage girl participant, aged 18
Through our powerful media presence and engaging social content we shine a spotlight on the culture and environments that continue to hold women and girls back in sport. We challenge inequality head on and relentlessly advocate for systemic change.
This year, we’ve exposed the damaging effects of early years’ stereotyping, sexism and misogyny. We shone a powerful spotlight on the 22% gender gap in team sport participation between girls and boys.
Our voice is bolder and louder than ever.
Media Reach
Our groundbreaking research and thought leadership on misogyny, safe and fair sport and the impact of underrepresentation of sportswomen in the media has been featured across major mainstream outlets including Sky News, BBC TV and radio, Times Radio, TNT World, The Independent and The Guardian, reaching a remarkable 1.63 billion people.
Support on social media continues to build. This year we gained an additional 23,000 followers, a fivefold increase on the previous year.
Through engaging and dynamic content, we celebrate success, amplify the voices of those driving progress in sport for women and girls and ignite the conversation for change.
In our 40th year, we’ve amplified our voice for women and girls in sport, sparking vital debates and taking bold stances on important policies and solutions. We’ve redoubled our advocacy efforts, fearlessly pushing for action through policy change.
Our strengthened approach to thought-leadership has solidified our authority and credibility, building a powerful body of policy opinion that is shaping the future of sport for women and girls.
Our policy work
This year, we pressed the Government to take decisive action for women and girls and brought together leaders in parliament, policy, sport, and business, through parliamentary roundtables, to discuss how we can make progress. We called for at least 50% of government sport spending to go to women and girls and for 50% of leaders in sport to be female. We also called on the Government to criminalise misogyny and pushed for the adoption of anti-misogyny policies.
We updated our stance on the female category in sport, engaging key experts and major sports bodies to ensure safety and fairness remain paramount at all levels.
Concepts & solutions
Our commitment to delivering innovative concepts and practical solutions to the educators, and the sport and leisure sectors remains strong and we are widely viewed as a trusted partner. This year, our research-led resources for teachers, parents, and coaches earned the endorsement of the Department for Education (DfE) and were distributed to 25,000 primary and secondary schools across England as part of the DfE’s PE guidance.
These resources are invaluable. I hope everyone gets the message loud and clear. I am a strong believer that the root of much of this early stereotyping problem is ingrained in the culture of homes and families and reinforced in the early years in school.
Annamarie Phelps CBE, Co-Chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport
Following the huge success of our award-winning ‘Big Sister’ initiative for teenage girls…
our partner, Places Leisure, rolled out reduced price admissions, women-led and girls-only sessions to teenage girls at over 80 leisure centres across England and trained almost 1000 staff members.
The Big Sister project has been a game-changer for girls aged 9-15, who have faced personal challenges when engaging with sport/exercise. Local Big Sister ambassadors championed the benefits and enjoyment of physical activity and helped so many girls reconnect with sport.
Sarah Roberts, Head of Fitness, Places Leisure
Our insights into the barriers faced by primary school girls in sports and our innovation in how to overcome them were built into a webinar series attended by 7,000 tennis coaches and staff.
Drawing on the wisdom and expertise of the Women in Sport team, we successfully designed and delivered an online CPD training course for LTA Accredited Coaches providing them with insights into the ongoing gender stereotypes affecting young girls and strategies to reduce them, to make tennis a more gender-equal sport
Jo-Anne Dowling, Lawn Tennis Association
#MiniAllies
To coincide with the launch of our research into young boys, we released a bold campaign to wake people up to the messages we surround our children with and the unintended consequences.
With the incredible pro bono support of creative agency Pitch Marketing Group, we used satire to expose how societal norms shape playground behaviours. The campaign, fronted by Bradford-born comedian Isma Almas and former EastEnders star Max Bowden challenged the stereotypes that hold girls back in sport and pushed for shift in the attitudes that will shape the next generation.
#TimeTogether
The need to engage teenage girls and midlife women in sport has never been more urgent. Our fourth annual #Time Together campaign delivered its most impactful storytelling yet, with four case-study videos showcasing mums, daughters and aunties – all supported by Vitality.
On-the-ground events delivered by Brent Cross Town, Parkour UK and the Canal and River Trust provided opportunities for women and girls to be active together. A record 27 sport sector partners, including England Netball, England Hockey, British Cycling and the British Mountaineering Council joined forces to drive this campaign. With pro-bono support from Lucky 7 digital agency, we reached 1.7 million people across our digital channels.
This is an amazing campaign. And in these difficult and heartbreaking times, it’s uplifting to witness the efforts of people bringing a positive change by challenging and changing norms and perceptions around gender impacting both girls and boys.
Malala Yousafzai Activist for Girls' Education
As a relatively new father, I felt compelled to join Women in Sport on their journey - to raise better men and be a better Dad. I love sport but massively recognise a divide and lack of opportunity for women in sport, so I was thrilled to be part of the solution and not the problem!
Max Bowden, Actor
Inspiring partnerships & collaboration
Fostering a progressive approach to collaboration, advising through a gender-focused lens and leading with insight, innovation and influence, we can create more effective, long-lasting change for women and girls in sport.
Our supporting role of the work of the UK Secretariat of the International Working Group for Women and Girls remains steadfast ensuring connection through the sport system and beyond. We strengthened key relationships across the sector while forging new partnerships with organisations like Penningtons Manches Cooper, Athletic Brewing and United Learning – expanding our reach and ability for change.
Our Influence
As a critical voice for bringing lasting positive change for women and girls in the sector and society, we have championed our views and position statements through numerous external and online engagements, media interviews and events across the UK.
In doing so we have become bold, brave, and strong in projecting our voice as a small but mighty charity. We had international influence speaking the Soft Power Summit and delivering a key note at Sport Austria’s women in sport conference. We’ve elevated our voice through the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership; to members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, to the Association of District Councils on Gendered Health Inequalities and to the National Conference on Women and Girls Safety in Parks to share our insights and promote our solutions.
The research delivered by the Women in Sport team helped us to understand the key challenges facing girls’ cricket and the impact of the lack of coaches in girls’ club cricket.
The insight gathered was invaluable to the design of the Cricket Fund enabling us to understand the barriers facing female coaches within cricket, but also some of the brilliant work that is already being done.
England & Wales Cricket Board and Metro Bank
We are thrilled to be supporting Women in Sport’s mission, and working with them on their internship programme which aims to bring more voices and backgrounds into sport to advocate for women and girls.
Tammy Knox, Partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Women in Sport’s advocacy and thought leadership are so valuable in the sector. From campaigning for fair funding for women’s sport to championing female leadership and calling out misogyny, in sport and society, it’s Women in Sport I trust to give these important topics the profile, the attention and the thought that they deserve.
Dame
Tracey Crouch
Chair, Julia Newton
"I was incredibly proud to take on the role of Chair this year as the charity celebrates the powerful and enduring legacy it has built over 40 years. From the visionaries who founded our charity in 1984, to the present day, we continue to lead the charge for women and girls in sport. This year marked pivotal moments in our journey. For the first time, we used our pioneering research to delve into the lives of young boys, the expectations we surround them with, and their resulting attitudes to girls and women in sport. We need men with us on this journey and so their starting point is vital to understand.
My priority on joining Women in Sport was to ensure our Board became more reflective of today’s society and to provide our brilliant executive team with a wide range of skills and lived experience to help address the challenges we face. I'm delighted to welcome our four new Trustees - Professor Catherine Calderwood, Yama Otung, Brian Moore, and Polly Neate CBE - who have been appointed to help us achieve this. Their strength, expertise, and shared commitment to ensuring that no one is excluded from the joy, fulfilment, and lifelong benefits of sport are invaluable.
As we look to the future, our resolve to drive lasting, positive change in sport and society has never been stronger. We will not stop until every woman and girl can experience the joy and lifelong benefits of sport, free from the barriers that continue to hold too many back. My heartfelt thanks go to our dedicated staff and Trustees whose commitment to the cause has made this an extraordinary year. My heartfelt thanks to my wonderful predecessor Chair, Susan Young and Trustees, Mark Chapman and Nick Rusling who left during the year and whose passion for the cause and hard work is greatly appreciated.”
Our income for 2023-24 was £1,089,206
Imagining that some girls and women don’t have access to sporting opportunities is devastating to me and I am glad that there are organisations like yours out there, trying to make a difference.”
– Women in Sport supporter
Women in Sport have been an incredible asset as grantees of our VRU Mayor of London Internship programme. Not only have they been extremely proactive and collaborative as grantees ensuring the work aligns with the vision of the Violence Reduction Unit and the Greater London Authority, but they have also shared their expertise and best practice around diverse hiring. I’m extremely excited to continue to develop our relationship with Women in Sport.
Liona Bravo
To all our partners
and supporters,
thank you.
Our achievements, both past and present, wouldn’t be possible without your backing. It is with your help that we are able to make the necessary changes for women and girls in sport and continue striving towards our vision by bolstering our people, projects and charitable standing. We are so grateful for the individuals who have taken on marathons and ultramarathons, the community groups who have put on amazing events and fundraisers, the employees who raised vital funds during the Women’s World Cup 2023, and the businesses that continue to invest in our cause.
We’re especially grateful for Sport England’s continued investment, which is vital to achieving our vision now and, in the future.
As our charity celebrates its 40th anniversary and strides into its next chapter, we also want to thank those that have backed our cause, whether that be financially or morally, over our charity’s lifespan.
