Sported joins forces with Always to highlight the long-term benefits that girls get from participating in sport.
To help keep girls playing sport, Always is donating to Sported as part of its new Fuel Her Future campaign. For every pack of Always Ultra, Always Platinum or Tampax Compak Pearl purchased from participating retailers and for every share using #FuelHerFuture on Twitter during the campaign period, Always will donate to help Sported deliver programmes across the country.
The funds donated will be used to provide small grants and equipment to Sported members, delivering vital services for young women and girls in their community.
Sported reported that 25 per cent of community groups are not sure that their participants will return in the future and 14 per cent of groups saying support will be needed to adjust to the new normal and government guidelines once they reopen.
New research from Always has found that nearly 1 in 3 girls drop out of sports during puberty, with 28 per cent thinking they weren’t good enough and 25 per cent revealing that they didn’t feel encouraged to keep playing.
The study among 1000 girls and 1000 adults was commissioned by Always to help understand the current state of girls’ participation in sports during puberty, as well as the long-term benefits of girls playing sports, beyond the cheers and the wins.
These long-term benefits of sport can be felt well into adulthood, with women who continued playing at school, saying that doing so helped them build skills such as learning how to persevere (23 per cent) and becoming a better communicator (21 per cent). 45 per cent also credit sports with teaching them teamwork, 30 per cent said sports helped them develop self-esteem and 25 per cent said sports helped them improve their mental health. Sadly, 50 per cent of women who dropped out of sports as teens wish they had continued to play.
To help show the world that the value of sports extends beyond the field, Always is teaming up with inspiring females including Rachel Riley, and local heroes such as Ellie Pantlin, an emergency nurse for the NHS, and Ellie Carter, who at 16 years old became the UK’s youngest female pilot.
Rachel Riley, mathematician, mother and Always ambassador reflects on how sport set her up for a career with numbers:
“I played so many different sports at school, from hurdles to football and the skills I learnt helped me in so many ways. The biggest impact sport had was on my confidence, especially as a teen – it taught me to be more vocal and encouraged me to take the lead and this is something that has stayed with me in my adult life.
I’m really passionate about this partnership with Always because I believe that playing sport has many unexpected benefits, including being able to build relationships with team members, improving communication skills and most of all, it really boosts confidence. And as someone who has reaped the rewards of staying in sports when I was younger, I really want to make sure that girls are encouraged to do the same because sport can help fuel girls’ futures.”
-Rachel Riley
“We are delighted to be working with Always on their Fuel Her Future campaign. Always and Sported are united in the conviction of the momentous role that sport can play in young girls’ lives and the importance of tackling the worrying drop off seen during puberty. At Sported, we want to encourage girls to stay active as they move through their teenage years to benefit from the lifelong rewards that sport has to offer.”
-Nicola Walker Sported CEO
Sported strives to tackle the barriers that deter women and girls from sport and physical activity and help the community groups we serve to build a more inclusive culture. In partnership with Always, we can support groups to get vital activities back up and running, providing opportunities for young women and girls facing disadvantage to continue to positively participate in sport. “
To mark the launch of the #FuelHerFuture campaign, Always has developed a film featuring Rachel Riley and our other local heroes who all credit sports as a key enabler of their success.
To watch the film, for more information on how to show your support, and for full Terms and Conditions, visit the #FuelHerFuture webpage.
