Tackling the Opportunity Gap in Sport for Girls

24m people in the UK now identify as women’s sport fans, according to new data from BBC Sport. Women’s sport has never been more visible, but visibility isn’t translating into opportunity. 

 Women in Sport's latest research, supported by Metro Bank, exposes a worrying reality for girls. 

Girls are being shown what’s possible at the elite level, but the structures, spaces and support for them to take part are not keeping pace. There's fewer opportunities, less investment and environments are not designed for them.  

 Read the full report 

Of the 13 sports analysed... 

• Nine had lower participation rates for girls 

• Only one in six opportunities to play sport were just for girls 

• Only 20% of team sport opportunities were girls only 

Mixed sport might sound equal, but when it’s not designed with girls in mind, it doesn’t always guarantee equal participation – or a positive experience for girls. 

Girls-only sport allows girls to thrive in a space they know they belong in. 

This research explores why girls-only options matter – and what needs to change to close the team sport gap and reduce the 1.3 million girls dropping out of sport during their teenage years.