Building a Safety Net for Girls in Sport
The UN states that ‘by the age of 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys.’ It’s a staggering statistic and one that made us pause. Because if all girls are leaving sport at such high rates, what does that mean for the most vulnerable among them?
At SCU, every event cycle is anchored by a flagship advocacy campaign. This time, we’re putting gender equity front and centre, with a clear focus on girls’ participation in sport and the full spectrum of benefits it brings to their lives: confidence, connection, joy, and resilience.
To understand the landscape more deeply, we launched a survey across our network. We spoke with partners, past participants, and community leaders. Their message was clear: vulnerable girls aren’t just dropping out – they’re being pushed out. Not by one barrier, but by many, overlapping ones.
From the data and stories emerged five key challenges:
- – Financial constraints
- – Cultural and gender norms
- – Safety concerns
- – A lack of menstrual health support
- – Striking absence of relatable role models
In response, we’ve identified three essential pillars that form the safety net needed to keep girls in sport:
1.Safety
This is non-negotiable. Girls need safe places to play, reliable transport, and adults who are trained — and held accountable — on safeguarding. Too often, safeguarding policies sit in binders, not in practice. We’re working to change that, promoting standards that are lived and enforced, not just written.
2. Fun
Fun is not a luxury — it’s the key to retention. If sessions are dry, intimidating, or unwelcoming, girls won’t return. For vulnerable girls especially, joy is power. We must move past one-size-fits-all programming and design sessions that reflect girls’ realities, voices, and interests.
3. Accessibility
True access means more than opening a door. It means challenging harmful stereotypes, making sport affordable, showcasing diverse role models, and celebrating every kind of girl – in every kind of body. It’s about making sure girls see sport not just as something they can do, but something they belong to.
If we only focus on what’s easy, we will leave girls behind.
Building sport environments where girls thrive takes more than good intentions — it takes deliberate, constant effort. But when we design with the most marginalised in mind, we build systems that uplift everyone.
This is just the beginning. SCU strives to create a future where every girl knows: Sport is her space. Sport is her strength. Sport is her superpower.
