Sporting women at the top of their game met today (Thursday, August 11) as part of a new initiative to ensure female voices are heard to bring about positive change in sport.
The Women In Sport Panel, has been established by Sport NI to champion women and girls in sport and today’s (Thursday, August 11) inaugural meeting at the House of Sport in Belfast was attended by the Department for Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA, Sport NI Chief Executive Antoinette McKeown and a host of women from various sporting codes.
The panel, that includes Commonwealth Games silver medallist Ciara Mageean, has been set-up to help close the significant gap in overall participation rates and representation of women in sport. Members met to share their views and creative ideas on how to improve female participation levels and their experiences in sport.
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said: “I am pleased to attend the inaugural meeting of the Women In Sport Panel. I welcome any initiatives that seek to address underrepresentation of Women In Sport and which place the issue of equality at the heart of its ambitions.”
“Increasing female participation and addressing underrepresentation of women in sport and physical activity is a key priority for my Department and a key theme in the new Strategy for Sport and Physical Activity – ‘Active Living’. I am sure that the Women In Sport Panel will play a crucial role in representing and communicating the views, experiences and creative ideas of women and girls, which will inform and enhance the work of Sport NI.”
Statistics show women are less likely to have taken part in sport at least once within the last year, 55%, than men, 62%. At post primary school level of those who never participated in sport outside school 45% were girls compared with 31% boys. This gap gets wider on our sidelines with women representing just 19.5% of the overall sports coaching workforce and this drops to just 10% for those who coach our World, Olympic or Paralympic athletes.
First meeting of the Women In Sport Panel
Sport NI Chief Executive, Antoinette McKeown, added: “The voices of women at all levels of sport need to be heard to improve participation levels and to deliver on better experiences.
“We want to address the barriers and create opportunities for women and girls to take part at all levels of their chosen sport, whether that be on the pitch, the sideline, or the boardroom.”
She said: “Our panel members come from across the sporting spectrum and bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge, of how we can ensure female voices are heard.
“The Women In Sport Panel is one step in strengthening equality, diversity and inclusion in our sporting system. I’m confident we can make a positive difference and deliver real change together.”
Alison Moffitt-Robinson, panel member and Chef de Mission for Team NI at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games added: “I’m delighted to be involved in this Sport NI initiative that will focus on how we can close the gap between women and girls and boys and men at all levels of sport.”
“We have been enjoying a fantastic summer of sport, especially with gold medal records being set by our women boxers Michaela Walsh and Amy Broadhurst in the ring and Bethany Firth in the pool. And we can’t forget about our history-making Northern Ireland Women’s Football Team performing for the first time on the world stage at the Euros.
“Although women have enjoyed such success at this elite level, we know there is still more work to be done to ensure women and girls get the opportunities they deserve at all levels of sport and within our sporting structures. I am confident the Women In Sport Panel will help achieve this.”