Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign has been marking 10 years since its launch.
Launched in January 2015, the campaign opened with a groundbreaking TV advert and has been challenging stereotypes ever since with Sport England reporting more than three million more women active since then. It has been supported by £30million of funding from National Lottery.
Sport England marketing director Kate Dale, who was part of the launch team in 2015, commented: “This Girl Can marked the end of the accepted wisdom that getting sweaty in the gym, jumping into a pool without fear of judgement or playing football with your friends wasn’t for women.
“Low confidence, poor body image, lack of time and enjoyment, and safety fears were all holding women back.
“This Girl Can has helped to break down those barriers, with eight in 10 women reporting that it boosted their confidence to get active. We thank The National Lottery and its players for making this campaign happen and empowering women.
“But research shows the gender activity gap stubbornly persists, with half a million fewer active women than men. Until all women are active, This Girl Can does not stop. Here’s to the next decade of changing women’s lives."
Over the last decade, This Girl Can has focused on tackling the gender activity gap which begins at school – with more than half of girls dropping out of sport altogether by the age of 16. It has addressed taboo subjects that affect women’s ability and confidence to get active like cellulite, childbirth, breastfeeding, menstruation and menopause, to helping women stay active while juggling pandemic homeschooling.
More recently, it has championed women's right to exercise without fear of harassment or intimidation in the darker months with our Let’s Lift the Curfew activation.
A new phase of This Girl Can begins in February, and will focus on communities and individuals who are less likely to be active including women on lower incomes, those who are pregnant or with a child under one, older women or women from Black or Muslim communities.
