engaging women and girls in sport - what a doorstep sport club needs to know
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Engaging women and girls in sport - what Doorstep Sport Clubs need
to know
• Us Girls is the ground-breaking initiative to get 30,000 young women from disadvantaged areas in England more active
• Us Girls is the public face of the Active Women Consortium (64 organisations), which is funded by Sport England and delivered by StreetGames
• StreetGames is the award-winning sports charity that brings sport to the doorstep of young people in disadvantaged communities across the UK
• Us Girls works with young women aged between 16 and 25 in 60 areas of high deprivation in England
• The programme began in April 2011.
Who we are
Sources of Insight
•Quarterly project m&e reports c. 50 projects
•Brunel University - project manager research / participant views
•Diva Creative - research 16-19 year old college students - attitudes and engagement in sport
•Doorstep Sport Advisers – thematic pieces of work
•Case studies.
What we have learnt - 12 months
Top Ten characteristics of a good programme
1. Partnerships
2. Flexibility in delivery
3. Willingness to change when not working
4. Effective coaches and leadership
5. Participant led-matching need
6. Families and friendship groups
7. Convenience of sessions
8. Regularity of sessions
9. Importance of value based pricing plans
10. Incentives work.
Implications for Doorstep Sport Clubs
Multi-sport sessions
“Sometimes you don’t know what you like”.
“Multi sport is absolutely right with our target group, perfect for reluctant young women without a sporting background”.
“We try to give young women an experience of different sports that they might not have played before or for a long time”
“If they go straight into a sports session, it will put them off”
Multi-sport approaches
• Multisport session – one sport after the other
• Multisport session – choice of sports at any one time
• Multisport courses with one sport for a block of 4/6 weeks
• Multisport taster courses with a different set sport each week
• One off multisport events/tasters.
Style of session
INFORMALFUN
NON -COMMITAL
SOCIAL
MUSIC
FEMALE ONLY
FRIENDLY
ACCESSIBLECONVENIENT
NON-PRESSURED
HIDDEN COACHING
AFFORDABLE
CASUAL FLEXIBLE
PAY & PLAY
Other things to think about…..Considerations
Doorstep sport basics Right time, right place, right price, right style
Programme of activities • Programme must reflect demand• Consider a wider range of activities - new
partners, additional training, demos/tasters, multi-sport
• Activities with a ‘twist’
Encourage & develop a sense of independence
This may involve:•Simply showing participants where to go / how to find info•Visits to sports venues to teach women how to use them•Liaising with leisure centre staff to ensure a welcoming environment•Discuss with centre staff the most appropriate communication channels & messages
Foster links with NGBs Be aware of ‘informal sport’ offers
Identify and support peer champions
• Women are influenced by other women• Importance of friendship groups a peer
champion.
Other things to think about…..Considerations
Communication - Using the ‘right’ tools & messages
• Posters and leaflets isn’t enough• Messages - fun, short and to the point, vibrant• Emphasis - losing weight, looking good, relaxing,
de-stressing, socialising• Images – real people who are having fun• Channels – WOM, Facebook, tasters/ demos, sms • Loyalty cards, discounts, incentives
Provide opportunities to develop leadership skills
Coaching, volunteering and decision making opportunities
Support young people to look for opportunities to join sports clubs
• Clubs & events – helping to identify where these are and how to join them
• Highlight appropriate player pathways/exit routes • Creation of new informal groups
Increase motivation • Health and lifestyle – drip feed• Explain the value of lifelong activity• Use of music!
Develop sports specific skills
This may require the provision of:•Structured coaching opportunities; learn basic skills, build confidence, put skills into practice•Setting participants skills or tricks to practice between sessions•Recognition, rewards and incentives•Access to competitive opportunities
Activity 1
• Think about who you want to work with in the future or who you want to work with more
• Give that person a ‘name’
• Provide a quote from that person – what they currently think about sport
• What are the motivations for this person to do sport or to do more sport
• What are the barriers that stop this person participating.
Activity 2
• Your commitment to working with women and girls in the next 3 months….
Us Girls - Plans for the future
• A series of practical ‘How to’ guides
• Interactive (& fun!) 3hr workshop - ‘Breaking the myth of Leanne – engaging women & girls in sport & physical activity’
• Identifying participants and their needs
• Recruiting & engaging young women – how to reach them
• Consideration of different settings
• Style of delivery.
For more info or to join the Us Girls network visit:
www.usgirls.org.uk
Or contact:
[email protected] or [email protected] (for London
projects)