Local Women Making a Difference - How Communities Are Coming Together To Get Women Active
It’s a slightly rainy Sunday in January and a group of women are gathered outside the local sports club to take part in a local fun run. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, grannys are all ready to run, walk and laugh their way round the course, enjoying being active together as a community. The atmosphere is light, fun and inclusive, not an unhappy face in the crowd. This is one of many free events hosted by Her Move, a volunteer lead movement in a West Sussex town that puts on events for women and girls to get active.
Despite the rise in local initiatives the issue lies with the lack of groups and opportunities available for women and girls. AXA, the sponsors of the women’s Euros last summer, conducted research into female participation in sport across the UK finding that only 7% of women over 18 play in a team sport. There is a massive disparity between the participation rates of men and women being active and local groups like Her Move are one of many groups trying to close this gap. After the success of the Lionesses and country-wide campaigns like ‘This Girl Can’ there’s been an increase in national motivation and community to create spaces for women to get active. However, these national campaigns, whilst being inspiring, aren’t able to impact every community across the country. Some of the key reasons women feel put off exercising include menstruation and menopause and sports groups being more male centered. 1 in 5 women who were surveyed said that social anxiety was a main reason they didn’t join new sports groups. The sports groups available can often feel intimidating and competitive and leads to women feeling uncomfortable to join something new. This is where the grassroot movements, like Her Move, come in. The message isn’t about being sporty it’s about being active and coming together as a community to improve your wellbeing.
These pressures and anxieties to join sports groups stem from multiple factors including body image and anxiety. Body image in particular can be a massive barrier, especially for teenage girls. A UK study conducted by England hockey player Tess Howard found that 70% of teenage girls quit school sports due to kit and body image issues. Body image issues putting young girls off sports has a knock on effect into adulthood putting a lot of women off the idea of picking up a sport again. Social media platforms and societal pressures have conditioned women to believe that an ideal body has to look a certain way and that sport can create a ‘bulky’ look. On the flip side women that want to get fit can feel put off by starting in groups that seem intimidating, showing that the introduction of fun female centered groups that focus on staying active and maintaining a good well-being will have a positive effect on women who may be struggling with these anxieties. Local initiatives like Her Move help take away these anxieties by removing any pressure to do with performance and cost.
We sat down with Louise Lucas, one of the co-founders of Her Move, a local initiative in a West Sussex town that is organising free activities to get women in the community active. Her Move focuses on making sporting events accessible and welcoming to women and aims to promote awareness for women’s sports and wellness. The movement is run by volunteers and in its first year has already organised multiple successful events including dance classes and runs. Louise explained further saying that “the important thing about Her Move is to be inclusive for everyone to come and try out. It’s not about being the best, it’s about having a go.” Her Move is one of many similar initiatives across the country that are making positive impacts in local communities. Louise continued “There’s no elitism, we encourage all ages and all abilities. We’ve had people in their 80s, it’s really just trying to encourage people to come and try different sports.” Local movements are creating strong community groups that are inspiring women and girls to try new sports and get active.
Grassroot initiatives like Her Move align with larger nationwide movements like This Girl Can. But where does the real change come from? Grassroot movements are creating change in local communities and helping to shape the future of women’s sports across the country. Free activities and events will help to promote women to come together and stay active, improving both well-being and mental health. Louise from Her Move stated the importance of women getting active saying “When women get married and have children they take on the role of dropping kids off at clubs over doing their own sport. It’s important to get involved and keep yourself fit and moving, for your mental health as well.” Other communities across the country are doing similar with one village in Devon having a female cricket team that welcomes all ages. The president of the club said “Everyone is welcome, whatever age or experience and practices are fun and friendly.” Groups like these are creating inclusive environments for women and girls across the country.
The future of inclusive and accessible sporting events for women feels bright. Local and country wide initiatives are focusing on building communities for women and girls to have safe spaces to stay active. For the women in West Sussex Her Move is a space for sporting fun and shows how across the country women and girls are coming together to get active.