This Girl Can - but she's less likely to do sport in Sheffield

Nationally, there is a significant gap between the numbers of males and females involved in sport, which prompted the This Girl Can campaign.

The initial campaign in 2015 engaged 1.8 million women and girls in physical activity.

Sheffield Council has previously run two projects and now has £100,000 funding for a third.

Aimee Pearce is a personal trainer and specialises in helping women exercise, including pregnant women, new mums and those going through the menopause.

She said girls as young as primary school age can be put off sport then barriers in later life add to the challenge.

She said: “I think there are a few different factors in this. PE in schools has a big effect on girls, but I am definitely not saying every PE department is rubbish.

“The focus needs to be on ensuring girls enjoy being active and strong in a wide variety of different activities.

“We need to show girls that fitness can be fun and therefore encouraging lifelong activity rather than it being for body shape and weight management.

“When I ask my older clients, who are often referred to me because of medical conditions, why they haven't been active in their lives, the majority say they hated old-school PE and so didn't stay active after school.

“It's crucial kids have a good experience of being active when they are younger, in order to make it a lifelong, normalised part of their life."

Being teenagers and then later mothers, can also impact on women's activity levels.

Aimee said: “For teenage girls it's just not seen as cool to do team sports anymore and other priorities take over.

“This is potentially the time where the shift takes place from sports into a more fitness and exercise-focused direction.

“Time also is a barrier, working women - especially mums - just don't have the time and even if they do then they feel guilty about spending it on doing something for themselves.”

Sport England approached Sheffield Council to apply for funding for the campaign in the city.

Tom Hughes, partnership project officer at the council, says the project will be more community focused than previous ones.

He said: “This time around, we want to commission work for communities to build capacity at a local level to activate this campaign.

“The funding will be granted to organisations to help deliver the project citywide including hiring venues and coaches, buying equipment and providing transport.

“Nationally there is a significant gap between the numbers of males and females active. This project is directly aiming to reduce those inequalities.

“Sheffield has a major public health programme along with a thriving voluntary sector with an emphasis on engaging the most disadvantaged groups. This project aims to raise awareness and increase opportunities in the communities that need it.

“The campaign will target women and girls across the city and help to tackle inequality and support individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve their potential.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.