At Her-Place, we believe that supporting women and girls means looking at the whole person, their wellbeing, confidence, friendships, opportunities and sense of belonging. That is one of the reasons why supporting women and girls to take part in sport and physical activity is so important to me.
We know that being active can have a really positive impact on our wellbeing. But for me, sport is about so much more than exercise. It can be about confidence, connection, friendships, being part of a team and simply having somewhere you feel that you belong.
I have seen this first-hand through our Walking Netball group at Her-Place. What started with women coming together to be active has developed into so much more. Yes, we play netball, but we also chat, laugh, encourage one another and build friendships. For some women, coming along for the first time can be a big step, and seeing those friendships and confidence grow has been fantastic.
Keeping young women active
When we think about girls and sport, there is another really important issue.
We know that many girls drop out of sport during their teenage years, and once they have stopped being active, returning can feel difficult. There can be so many barriers, confidence, body image, feeling that you aren’t “sporty”, changing priorities, lack of opportunities or simply not knowing where to start again.
At Her-Place, we want to challenge some of those barriers.
That is why we have developed our PE Toolkit, designed to support schools to keep young women engaged in physical activity and to help make sport feel more inclusive and accessible.
For me, it isn’t about every girl becoming a competitive athlete. It is about making sure every girl has the opportunity to find something active that she enjoys, whether that is football, netball, ice hockey, dance, walking, running or something completely different.
And importantly, we want young women to understand that sport belongs to them too.
Meet Violet – our Active Her Ambassador
It is fantastic to have Violet Lennon as our Active Her Project Ambassador.
Violet’s passion for ice hockey is brilliant to see. She is enthusiastic, committed and clearly loves her sport , and I think that is exactly what we need to see more of.
Young women need role models who show them that there isn’t one particular way to be involved in sport. Violet demonstrates that girls can take up a sport, love it, develop their skills and be proud of what they achieve.
I hope that by sharing Violet’s story, other young women will see her and think: “Maybe I could do that too.”
Sport can bring families together too
My love of sport isn’t just connected to the work I do through Her-Place. It has become part of my family life too.
For the fourth year running, I will be sponsoring a Nantwich Town Women’s player.
One of the things I particularly love is going to watch the matches with my mum and dad. It is great family time, we get to spend time together, watch the game, support the players and enjoy the atmosphere.
And that is another reason why I think sport matters.
It creates opportunities to connect with people. It can bring families together. It can create friendships between people who might never otherwise have met. It gives us shared experiences and memories.
Sometimes we focus so much on the physical benefits of sport that we forget about all the other things it can give us.
My Her Game Too journey
My involvement in sport has also led to my role as a Her Game Too ambassador at Crewe Alexandra.
I am incredibly proud of this role because it gives me another opportunity to help champion women and girls in football and to encourage more women to feel that they have a place within the game.
Whether that is watching a match, volunteering, playing, coaching, working in football or simply having conversations about women’s experiences in sport, there is a place for everyone.
Through my work with Her-Place and my involvement with Her Game Too, I have seen just how powerful sport can be in creating connections and opening doors.
Sport is about so much more than sport
That is really what supporting women in sport means to me.
It is about wellbeing.
It is about confidence.
It is about friendship.
It is about family.
It is about role models.
It is about opportunity.
And it is about making sure that girls and women know that sport is for them.
At Her-Place, we want to keep creating opportunities for women and girls to be active in ways that work for them, while challenging some of the barriers that can stop them taking part.
Whether it is joining our Walking Netball group, picking up a hockey stick, getting involved in football, dancing, walking or simply finding a form of movement that makes you feel good, want women and girls to have the confidence to give it a go.