We're proud to support the EmpowerHER Festival during April, hosted by This Girl Can, Sport Birmingham, and The Active Wellbeing Society. The festival brought together professionals, practitioners, and aspiring leaders to explore one clear mission: how we can better support women and girls to thrive in sport, physical activity, and leadership roles.
Across the UK, the conversation around women in sport is evolving rapidly. Participation is rising, visibility is improving, and momentum is building—but significant challenges remain, particularly in leadership, representation, and safeguarding.
Women in Sport in the UK
There has been clear progress in recent years. Today, around 18.2 million women in England are taking part in sport or physical activity at least twice a month(1), reflecting a steady increase in engagement.
However, participation does not yet translate into equality. Structural and cultural barriers still limit how far women can progress:
- Women remain underrepresented in coaching and leadership roles, with only around 20% of Olympic and Paralympic coaches in the UK being women(2), despite that figure doubling in recent years.
- Experiences within the system can be challenging—30% of women coaches report bullying(3), alongside higher levels of harassment and job insecurity compared to men.
These figures highlight a critical truth: while more women are entering sport, fewer are being supported to stay, progress, and lead.
Creating Lasting Impact
The data makes it clear that there is still work to do—particularly in ensuring that opportunity, safety, and leadership pathways are truly equitable.
Supporting initiatives like EmpowerHER allows us to be part of that change:
- Championing inclusive practice
- Strengthening safeguarding and welfare
- Supporting the development of future female leaders
The future of sport depends on our ability to create environments where everyone can thrive. For women and girls, that means not only increasing participation, but also breaking down the barriers that limit progression and leadership.
Our Support
In support, we held our Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop. This allowed the opportunity for women in sport to come and learn about the importance of good safeguarding practice, how to identify signs of harm or neglect in children, and how to respond to these signs appropriately.
We are proud to have supported EmpowerHER and remain committed to playing our part in building a more inclusive, equitable sporting landscape across the UK.
Because when women are supported to lead in sport, the impact extends far beyond the field of play.
(1) Women's sports participation in the UK - statistics & facts | Statista
(2) Number of women coaching in Olympic and Paralympic sport doubles since 2020 | UK Sport
(3) Women coaches face significantly higher levels of harm in UK sport - London Sport Data Hub