Ask almost any grassroots sports club what they need more of and there is a good chance volunteers will be somewhere near the top of the list. More coaches. More committee members. Someone to run the social media. Someone to organise events. Someone to help with...
Every girl deserves the opportunity to experience the lifelong benefits of sport. From building confidence and friendships to improving physical and mental wellbeing, sport has the power to shape lives far beyond childhood. Yet, despite increasing participation in...
When we think about elite athletes, it's easy to focus on the end result. The international appearances, championship medals and professional contracts often dominate the headlines. What is less visible is where the journey started. Behind almost every successful...
When clubs and organisations talk about growing girls’ sport participation, the focus is often placed on players themselves: How do we recruit more girls? How do we retain players? How do we improve confidence and enjoyment? But one of the biggest influences on...
Girls’ participation in sport has improved a lot in recent years, but there’s still a clear drop-off as girls get older. From my experience working with clubs, schools and community programmes, this isn’t usually down to ability. It’s much more about confidence,...
Many girls start their sporting journey with enthusiasm and confidence, yet participation often declines during the teenage years. Research consistently shows that girls are more likely than boys to drop out of sport during adolescence. For clubs, schools and...
Sport gives children some of their earliest lessons about success, disappointment, confidence, and resilience. A last-minute goal, a heavy defeat, a missed penalty, a personal best. These moments stick with them far longer than we often realise. What children take...
When we talk about girls in sport, participation is often the first goal. Getting more girls through the door matters. But staying involved, growing in confidence, and seeing themselves as leaders matters just as much. Leadership in sport is not just about being...
From an early age, many girls receive subtle messages about which sports are “for them” and which are not. Football is too rough. Rugby is for boys. Weightlifting will make you bulky. Gymnastics is fine, but only if you look a certain way. These stereotypes can...
For many girls, sport can be a powerful confidence booster. It can also be one of the places where worries about body image show up most strongly. Tight kits, changing rooms, mirrors, photos on social media and comparisons with teammates can all make girls feel...
Grassroots sports clubs play a huge role in shaping girls’ experiences of sport and whether they stick with it for life. While many clubs genuinely want to attract and retain more girls, good intentions don’t always translate into a welcoming environment. The good...
When people think about sport, they often picture competition, fitness and teamwork. But sport does far more than help players stay active or win medals. It’s also a powerful teacher, shaping qualities and skills that carry over into the classroom, workplace and...
Sport has always been about more than the scoreboard. Beyond the sweat, training, and matchday excitement, there’s a quieter force at play - one that shapes identity, confidence, and connection. For girls, this often takes the form of something special: the...
After-school clubs are more than just a way to pass the time once the school bell rings. For many girls, these spaces can be transformative - offering opportunities to explore interests, build new skills, and grow in confidence. With growing awareness of the...
When girls step onto a football pitch, they’re not just playing a game - they’re learning skills that will shape the rest of their lives. At Sport Sister, we believe that the lessons picked up in sport reach far beyond the final whistle. Teamwork: learning to...
Staying active has countless benefits for young girls - from boosting confidence and building friendships to improving physical health and supporting mental wellbeing. Yet research shows that many girls reduce or even stop their involvement in sport as they get...
When someone close to you suffers an injury, it can be difficult to know how best to help. Whether it’s a broken bone, a sprain, or a longer-term recovery process, support from friends and family makes a significant difference. Showing care, patience, and...
While women’s sport is gaining long-overdue recognition on the national stage, many communities still face a stark imbalance in the quality and availability of facilities for women and girls. Grassroots access remains a pressing issue, from limited pitch time to...
In today’s competitive business landscape, companies are constantly searching for ways to enhance their brand visibility, connect with their communities, and demonstrate social responsibility. One often-overlooked opportunity that provides significant benefits is...
In today’s fast-paced world, finding time for sports and physical activities can be a challenge, especially for busy parents juggling work, household responsibilities, and children’s schedules. However, incorporating sports into family life is not only possible but...
Sports play a vital role in the physical and mental well-being of young people, yet participation rates among girls remain significantly lower than those of boys. Many factors contribute to this disparity, including lack of encouragement, inadequate facilities, and...
Choosing the right sport can be an exciting but challenging decision. Whether you're selecting an activity for yourself or helping your child find their perfect match, it's essential to consider various factors to ensure enjoyment, personal growth, and long-term...
Sport can be a transformative experience for young girls, teaching them confidence, teamwork, discipline, and resilience. However, mentoring girls in sport requires a specialised set of skills. It demands understanding, empathy, and a focus on fostering a...
Updated for 2026 with the latest participation trends and fastest growing sports. As we step into 2026, the world of sport continues to evolve, offering new and exciting opportunities for women and girls to stay active, build confidence, and foster teamwork....
As the festive season approaches, it’s the perfect time to think about meaningful gifts for the women and girls in your life who live and breathe sport. Whether they’re trail runners, yoga fans, football players, or simply enjoy being active, here are thoughtful...
Promoting a sports event can often feel like a challenge, especially when you’ve put time into organising something and just want people to turn up. From experience, the most effective promotion isn’t about one big push. It’s about consistency, visibility and...
At Atomicon earlier this year I saw an amazing talk from Geoff Ramm on how to provide excellent customer service within your business. Providing excellent service is something that we pride ourselves on at Sport Sister so I thought I'd use this week's blog post to...
Creating a safe and supportive environment for girls in sport is essential for fostering their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It promotes not only their participation but also their development and enjoyment of the sport. Here’s a guide on how to...
One of the common complaints I hear from people wanting to get involved in sport is that they don't know where to look to find local opportunities. So if you're looking for a new sporting opportunities, here's a step-by-step guide on where to start your search:...
At the heart of every successful grassroots sports club is communication that works for everyone. From coaches and volunteers to players, parents and the wider community, how a club communicates can be the difference between confusion and connection. Effective...
It is well known in the world of sport that adolescence is a time when we see a significant drop off in participation rates for girls (https://womeninsport.org/resource/reframing-sport-for-teenage-girls-tackling-teenage-disengagement/). In a world that constantly...
We've recently taken on a new project, which provides excellent leadership opportunities for girls. It's got me reflecting on what a powerful tool sport can be in developing leadership skills. I've seen some fantastic ways that sports clubs have done this and I...
A lot of the work we do to grow women's and girls' participation in sport involves working with sports that have historically been mostly played by, and run by, men. One of the challenges that is regularly raised is how to infiltrate the 'old boys club', how to...
One of the most important outcomes of taking part in sport is the positive impact it can have on confidence. Unfortunately, a negative experience can have the opposite effect and dent confidence. Many women will have experienced this from PE lessons,...
The flexibility of working for myself was a huge part of why I decided to become self-employed. Usually for school holidays, I try to cut work down to a minimum so I can remove as much of the pressure of the juggle as possible, but sometimes it isn't that easy! For...
The Youth Sport Trust's Girls Active Survey finds that the PE 'enjoyment gap' for girls is widening. We hear stories of awful kit, playing sports they didn't enjoy, making excuses to miss the lesson. You may have even experienced some of these yourself. At Sport...
So your child has come home from school and declared they want to start playing rugby/football/basketball/any other sport. You head to Google to find out what options there are near you, but how do you know which is the right one? Here are my top tips...
Having your child involved in a sports club often opens your eyes to a whole new world! You see first hand the power of having a team of dedicated volunteers and it can often give you a strong sense of community. So, if you have a child involved in...
I've been having a few conversations recently with people who are either considering getting involved in a new sport themselves or have children who are looking at joining a new sports club. Usually, these people look at the obvious health benefits of being...
Facilities are a huge part of the experience for participants in sport. They can make a big difference in how people perceive your club. So how can you make sure your facilities are welcoming for women and girls? Here are some top tips: 1....
Any of you involved in club committees will know that August is a busy time of year. Seasons have started or are due to start, players need to be registered, kit and equipment checked or purchased, and volunteers to be recruited. I recently hosted...
The UEFA Women's Euros have created a real buzz around women's football. More tickets have been sold for the tournament than any previous women's Euros with millions tuning in to watch the Lionesses on TV. I've been fortunate to be able to take my two...
Parents in sport sometimes get a bad reputation. Sometimes justifiably, sometimes unfairly. If you're a club your network of parents can be one of your strongest assets if you utilise them properly. In this month's blog post, we look at how clubs...
Volunteers are the lifeblood of grassroots clubs and if you find good ones, they are worth their weight in gold! But with people living increasingly busy lives, it can be difficult to find people willing to volunteer that have the skills and commitment you...
If you follow me on LinkedIn you might have seen my post around the challenge of finding my eldest son a football team (you can read the post here). I was amazed by how many people commented or contacted me to say they'd had a similar experience and it...
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