Let's bust some myths about female engagement with sports
A recent report by EY looks women's sport. Let's dive into the myths it examines and start to think about what it might mean for clubs and coaches.
A recent report by EY highlights and busts some common myths within women’s sport and highlights female Gen Z engagement.
So let’s go through the myths and then think about any impacts to coaching.
Myth 1: “Few females engage in sport (by either following, participating or attending)”
Using some of EY’s data, the report suggests that there are 13 million sporty engagers that are female in the UK. I13 million hardly counts as a few.
Yes, there are fewer women currently engaged within sport compared to men. The EY report asks the question whether this highlights an area for growth within sport. If so, how do we target those women not currently already following or participating in sport?
The report also indicates that the gender engagement gap is narrowing, specifically within Gen Z. Currently, nearly half of people aged 18-24 (EY’s definition of Gen Z) engaged in sport are female.
This indicates a positive change for the number of women involved in sport. It also highlights the importance of nurturing a female fan base. Engage with women or be left behind by other sports.
Myth 2: “Sport is typically not very important to females”
EY found that 64% of female engagers rated sport as very important to them.
However, that is still behind a male population. 76% of men said sport was very important.
The Gen Z/younger age bracket trend continues. The gap between male and female ratings was narrower for younger engagers.
This highlights the growth that’s happening within the younger generations. However, it also suggests a need to think of ways to increase the importance or relevance of sport to women within the middle and older age brackets.
Myth 3: “Few females participate in sport”
The report states that by using their data, EY can suggest that 7 million adult females in the UK participate in sport. Again, not a small number.
However, there is potential for growth as this number suggests 1 in 4 females are active.
The main sports that women are currently participating in are those with low barriers. Topping the chart is running, cycling and wellness sports.
Team sports, apart from football, don’t feature within the top 10 sports.
Myth 4: “Few females attend live sports in person”
EY acknowledge that this myth is true, but they anticipate it changing. Currently only 2.5 million adult females attend sporting events in the UK.
However, there is a positive within that low stat: female attendees form just under a third of adults attending live sport.
So, if live sport experiences target women, there could be a growth in overall attendance figures at events.
There is positive news for rugby within the stats. Whilst top of the female attendance was, obviously football, rugby union was ranked 2nd and rugby league was 3rd.
There will also be a change in these stats after the Rugby World Cup in 2025. It will be interesting to compare the attendance after the world cup and how many people attending were new to watching rugby in a stadium.
Myth 5: “Women’s sport formats appeal more to females than males”
The EY report states that men are the drivers of engagement with women’s sports (apart from tennis, cycling, gymnastics, badminton and skiing).
The report also notes that the female format of rugby union, along with cricket, boxing and MMA, is very male-driven. 32% and 34% of engagers within women’s and men’s rugby union, respectively, were female.
Women’s sports’ potential to appeal to new audiences is apparent. There is also a cross-gender audience of these formats.
However, as EY notes with rugby union, sports can’t simply launch a female format and automatically expect it to appeal to women and new audiences. There needs to be a clear strategy.
What does it mean for coaches and clubs?
If you love your stats or what to read more, I’ve added a link to get the report towards the end of the article. I’ve gone through the headlines and some of EY’s round up of the numbers.
The report goes on to highlight some sports. Rugby Union is the UK’s 6th largest sport for female engagement. 52% of recent engagers are female and 25% of those are aged 18-34.
This means there’s potential for growth, especially as younger women are engaging with the sport.
Here’s my thoughts about what clubs and coaches can do with all this information:
Lower barriers to team sports
The sports that ranked higher on the participation stats were those with less barriers, including kit and cost.
Organise a kit swap at the club. Could your club or team work with a sponsor to create a fund or kit collection, specifically for anyone new or struggling to buy boots.
On your social media, emphasise that anyone new doesn’t need any special kit to give rugby a go.
Think about how child-friendly your team’s training sessions are. Do mothers on the team feel comfortable to bring their children to training? Could you set up an area for the children to play, including some balls they can use?
Women aren’t one large group
Women aren’t one giant homogeneous blob. Increasing female participation is not a one size fits all approach.
Appealing and engaging with younger women is different to older women. That’s just one example.
Whilst the report highlighted the positives of younger women being an area to target, it concerned me that middle-aged and older women aren’t as engaged with sport and being active.
The RFU are currently developing some community work as part of the World Cup to target older age groups and those women engaged in sports with less barriers (running) and to transition them over to clubs. (Hopefully more on this within the next few weeks)
Have more than one approach or programme to engaging women at your club. One plan (such as a summer bootcamp) might be engage some women. A different programme, such as walking rugby, will open your rugby clubs doors for others.
Having diverse approaches not only helps recruit new female faces to your club, but also helps keep current members more engaged and catered for.