Getting more women into sport at university

Tim Woodhouse Head of Policy

Liz Davidson Sport Partnerships Manager

Getting more women into sport at university

Session summary

• Introduction to WSFF • An illustration of how we work• Group discussion about how to get

more young women into sport and physical activity at university

• 1 hour

WSFF overview

• Unique UK charity – small but perfectly formed

• Exist to create a nation of active women

• Synergy with BUCS and universities – desire to increase participation and to enhance sporting experience

Our guiding principles

• Women and girls make up 51% of the population

• Women aren’t a “hard to reach group”• This is not a typical “equality” issue• Women should be core business for sports

providers who should explore gender differences and design programmes and change behaviours accordingly

Our work: Our work: Creating a nation of active womenCreating a nation of active women

Give the customer Give the customer what she wantswhat she wants


Create a society Create a society in which being in which being

active is attractiveactive is attractive



Develop policies to Develop policies to improve leadership, improve leadership, investment & profileinvestment & profile


Provide expert consultancy to Provide expert consultancy to sport & fitness industry onsport & fitness industry on

treating women as customerstreating women as customers



Consumer campaigning & Consumer campaigning & promotions to make fit & promotions to make fit &

healthy women into social & healthy women into social & cultural role modelscultural role models



Influence government Influence government & policy-makers& policy-makers


1

2

3

DEMANDDEMAND

VOICEVOICE

SUPPLYSUPPLY

SiTC: programme overview

• Partnership with local authority and private sector gyms• Open to inactive 16 to 24 year-old women in London• 3 months free gym membership

– 2,200 places available at 101 gyms across 31 boroughs • Supported programme:

– group sessions at gym– Mentor – On-line social hub– Social activities

• Questionnaires; blogs; online diaries; interviews; focus groups

Exit routes to sport

• Increased willingness to try new activities– An incredible 88% of participants agreed

that ‘SitC has reminded me how good it feels to be active’.

– 93% listed the activities that they would like to try. The top 6: swimming, trampolining, horse riding and badminton, pole dancing and tennis all popular

– The women were offered tasters in rowing, tennis, boxing, bowls, fencing and softball

The difference SitC made• Increased confidence about using a gym

– Prior to starting programme 25% ‘felt gyms were not for me’, after the programme this had declined to 13%

“I was slightly nervous, when it comes to gyms I am scared of being surrounded by a million and one super-fit people ...So yesterday was a revelation for me - the gym isn't scary!”

• Increased body confidence/self esteem– Prior to starting the programme almost seven in ten women

(67%) admitted that they didn’t like their bodies. Post the programme, this had declined to half (51%)

”I left the gym on many days feeling much better and confident about myself - something that was really life changing”

Retention…• Immediately after: around 86% said they would continue to be

active, with over half saying they would continue to use a gym

• 6 months later: 72% of the women are more active than prior to starting the programme– 45% are active at least 3 x a week or more moderate intensity– 37% have an annual gym membership, and 13% use a pay as you go system

“I think the deal my gym has seems to be quite good so I'm definitely going to look at joining up. I'm quite fond of going and I think I'd really be lost without it now!”

Our work: Our work: Creating a nation of active womenCreating a nation of active women



















1

2

3

DEMANDDEMAND

VOICEVOICE

SUPPLYSUPPLY

The opportunity for university sportMore women being active at university means… For the individual;• Enjoyment• Chance to develop sporting and non sporting skills • Better health• More social opportunities • Better exam results

For the university• Increased club membership and subscriptions• Greater talent pool to pick teams from• Greater social opportunities• Better exam results

The challenge for university sport

Female students are the most active group of women in the whole population however, the statistics are still well below those for men.

• 41% of female university students never take part in any moderate level sport

• Male university students are twice as likely as female students to take part in organised competition (33% compared to 16%)

• 28% of active female university students are members of sports clubs (19% of men)

Things to consider;

• Six in ten women prefer “exercising” to playing sport

• Top 5 sports for female students; Swimming, Athletics, Football, Dance, Badminton

• 64% of women would exercise more if they had a friend to play with (social)

• Flexible approach • Formal informality

Questions

Please scribble your ideas down on the sheets provided…..

• What are your goals relating to women’s participation in sport ?

• What do you perceive to be the barriers faced in getting more women involved?

• How can these be overcome?

Summary

• Ensure high quality experience• Offer variety and flexibility in how to participate• Don’t make it all about the competition• Formal informality• Develop new products and experiences• Consider women’s motivations for being active• Adopt clear policies and targets in relation of female

participation • Ensure women are represented in decision making

structures• Celebrate fit and healthy women – role models

Documents

Getting more women into sport at university