Sustaining participation in teenage girls
Chris Lillistone, Insight and Innovation, WSFF and Carrie
Myers, Girlguiding UK
Contents
•
Introductions
•
Teenage drop off – the problem
•
The dry bit: research background
and method
•
Why do girls drop out?
•
Drop out myths
•
Its not all bad – what young women
love about sport
•
So what do we do to keep them in?
•
How do other organisations deal
with drop out? Case study:
Girlguiding UK
•
Discussion
Teenage drop off – the problem
Proportion of young people who take part in recommended levels of physical
activity, by gender and age
60%
50%
40%
Girls
Boys
30%
20%
10%
0%
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
In all sports, almost half as many 16 – 24 year old women take part in
sport as men of the same age
Many sports notice a significant drop out or withdrawal from their sport
among female participants in their teenage years
% of girls who take part in sport at least once a month by age
12%
10%
Netball
Football
Basketball
Badminton
Tennis
Gymnastics
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
16
Active People Survey 4 (2009-10)
17
18
19
20
The research and method
THE PROBLEM: 9 National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), have identified
retention as a target and want to gain a deeper insight around drivers and barriers to
participation as well as sport-specific motivations.
OBJECTIVE: identify key reasons (practical, psycho-social and individual sport
specific) for young women dropping out of sport, and identify further interventions to
shape a new future
WHO: WSFF commissioned the Futures Company to carry out the bespoke research
HOW: Paired interviews and focus groups with 16-19 year-old current participants and
non participants from each of the 8 participating sports (badminton, tennis, basketball,
hockey, football, rugby union, rugby league, netball)
Why do girls drop out?
As they grow up, teenage girls have to contend with
a number of personal and lifestyle challenges.
Peer pressure to be socially accepted
Relationships/
boyfriends
Increased body
consciousness
11
yrs
old
12
yrs
old
13
yrs
old
14
yrs
old
More pressure to do well at
school
15
yrs
old
16
yrs
old
17
yrs
old
18
yrs
old
19
yrs
old
Understanding the pressures and demands of being a teenager
is critical to understanding the role of sport in their lives.
Sporting
reasons
Lack of players
No future
potential/
career
opportunities
Too competitive
Lifestyle reasons
Fall out with
other players
Friends
Unfriendly
team/club
Relationships/
boyfriends
Embarrassing
Work/ job
Seasonal
No role models
/lack of
publicity
Unfit
Personal Lazy
reasons
Lack of match
play
Coach
personality
Other sport/
hobby
commitments
Tired of playing
against same
teams
Time for
something new
Transport/
convenience
Money
Not very good
at the sport
School work
Jump to senior
league
Parental
support
No school links
with clubs
Lack of
coaches
Risk of getting
hurt
9
8 key reasons
BAD
COACHES/
SPORTS
TEACHERS
LACK OF
SUPPORT
FROM
SCHOOLS
COMPETING
SOCIAL
PRESSURES
Sporting
reasons
Lifestyle
reasons COMMITMENTS
BIG JUMP
FROM JUNIOR
TO SENIOR
LEAGUES
/ PRESSURES
CONFLICTS
Personal
reasons
LACK OF
PLAYERS
TIME FOR
SOMETHING
NEW
NOT ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY IN
MATCHES
TIME FOR
SOMETHING
NEW
Dedication and commitment to a sport can,
after while, become something of a burden
REASON
IMPACT
Playing a sport from a young age can get
boring after so many years
Girls who have played a particular sport for a long
time can reach a point where they become tired
and bored and yearn for something new – either
another sport or a non-sport interest.
Playing sport at a high level requires a lot
of commitment and dedication
Having to commit and dedicate a lot of time to
play at a high level can become too much for
some girls. They can become resentful of the
sport and leave to regain some freedom.
“There is too much training at a high
level and if you started young you may
get bored by a certain age – that
happened with me with rowing”.
Hockey lapsed
“People can get bored of playing and stop. I
swam loads when I was younger but when I
was 16 I started going less – it can take its toll
and I wanted to take up the opportunity to try
dancing or rowing”.
Sometimes girls just want to try something new – it bears no reflection on the
sport experience itself.
VOX POP (1)
Played for so long I’m now bored of it
COMPETING
SOCIAL
PRESSURES
New interests in socialising and increased focus on
studies mean that sport may have to take a back seat
REASON
IMPACT
Increasing independence/freedom
Girls start to discover new interests (socialising,
shopping, going out) and as a result drop other
past-times including sport.
Greater emphasis on education and
academic success
From the age of 15 girls start focussing more on
studying, and feel under pressure to do well in
exams (GCSEs and A-levels). As such, more time
is spent studying leaving less time to spend on
hobbies/interests.
“When everyone gets to 15-16yrs that’s
when you start drinking and going out
and developing a social life – it takes
over and becomes a priority”.
“School work and exams get in the way of
playing”.
“People get
boyfriends
and would
rather
spend time
with them”.
“Boys and girls are different in what
they want to do in their spare time –
girls have different priorities and
interests –it’s [sport] just not what
you do I guess”.
“You have to work – your parents
can't support you forever!”
This is a difficult issue to address but sports need to be understanding of
competing pressures and help girls find ways to fit sport into their lives.
LACK OF
SUPPORT
FROM SCHOOLS
A school’s commitment and encouragement
of sports is critical in maintaining
participation
REASON
IMPACT
Schools and clubs largely operate independently
– they lack links and schools fail to encourage
and promote clubs to students
Students who enjoy playing sport at school are
largely unaware of club opportunities.
Players get limited exposure to larger
competitions/other teams.
Senior schools often prioritise and focus on only
a certain few (often traditional girls’) sports
For the remaining sports, the coaching and match
opportunities are limited or non-existent. Students
are often left to organise play themselves – this
can easily fall apart.
Schools are committed to the academic success
of their students and are also protective of their
sporting talent
Schools can be discouraging of students playing
sport outside of school as it conflicts with study
time and can also cause a conflict of loyalties
between school and club sports.
Absence of interest in B teams
B teams are given less opportunity to train and
compete, leaving girls in B teams feeling
neglected and de-motivated.
Schools/ colleges provide fewer opportunities for
6th formers (16-18yrs) to play sport
A lack of organised sports for 6th formers (no
coaches/training/matches) means that they may
discontinue playing sports.
LACK OF
SUPPORT
FROM SCHOOLS
What girls have to say...
“I had a big problem with an RS teacher at school. She
didn't like me playing for a hockey club. If I didn't do
my homework she would tell me I was playing too
much sport”.
“Sometimes schools won’t connect you
with a local club – they want you on
their tennis team”.
“Schools should do more to
encourage the game and link
you to clubs”.
“Our school wasn't really into netball – we
had an A team but they didn't want a B
team so we created it ourselves”.
“Our school didn't coach us netball so we had to
form our own team and got a 6th former to come and
help out – I would have liked more support from the
school”.
Schools need to provide opportunities to play throughout senior school and sixth
form across a range of sports.
CONFLICTS
WITH OTHER
COMMITMENTS/
PRESSURES
Time pressures may compromise dedication to sport
REASON
Other interests (another sport, job or other)
require fixed, regular commitment
“When you’re 16 you want a Saturday job but
matches are always on Saturdays”.
“I was on the first team (hockey), but I prefer
dancing, dancing is what I do. It will help with
my career- it’s about priorities”.
IMPACT
• Scheduling of interests can clash – two things
happen to be on the same day at the same time
– and one gets dropped.
• High level sports require a lot of commitment
and it can become hard to juggle other sports
as well. As a result, sports tend to get dropped
so the girls can focus on just one.
“I was on a hockey and netball team but I gave
up as did a foundation in art which takes up
time”.
“I played for a team (Badminton) but it
conflicted with rugby training so I had to
stop. My friends were in rugby”.
Whilst a sport can’t be designed to fit around every girl’s schedule, permanent
drop out could be reduced by making it easier for girls to come back to a sport
once their conflicting interests have ended.
VOX POP (2)
I had to chose between two sports and
prioritise
BAD COACHES/
SPORTS
TEACHERS
The coach’s role is vital in the quality of the
sport experience
REASON
IMPACT
Some coaches are unenthusiastic
Coaches play a crucial role in enthusing players.
Without their enthusiasm and commitment,
players can lose interest and leave.
Some coaches have favourites
(often the really good players)
Unfair decisions and preferences can mean that
girls miss out on match play. This leaves players
feeling undervalued and de-motivated.
An overly aggressive, critical or serious
coaching approach is very off-putting to
girls
Girls need to feel supported and understood, as
well as be allowed to have fun, otherwise their
enjoyment of the experience can be ruined.
Enthusiastic, supportive, committed and fun coaches are key to maintaining
teenage girls’ interest in and commitment to the sport. Having a female coach is
much less important.
BAD COACHES/
SPORTS
TEACHERS
What girls have to say...
“I had a bad football manager – he
was never around – he was too
quiet and didn’t encourage us. He
also had favourites”.
“The teachers not
being enthusiastic is
a big thing. PE
teachers love their
teams but are not
very nice to the
people who aren't in
the teams. They
have too much pride
in talent”.
“Some coaches shout a lot at you and
some people don't like that and take it
personally – it can put them off”.
“Some of my badminton coaches took it too lightheartedly – they didn't care whereas in rugby the
coaches weren't like that and with them I wanted to
try harder and impress my coaches more”.
“A coach
makes it for
you – if they’re
not
enthusiastic
then you’re
not. If you get
picked on it
makes it a
horrible
experience for
you”.
“Jackie (football coach) was good – she was relaxed about
things and if you did something wrong, instead of shouting at
you, she would just mention it and tell you how to do it better
next time”.
LACK OF
PLAYERS
With others leaving, girls that stay can lose out
REASON
IMPACT
Other girls in the team/club leave due to
other commitments and social pressures
The girls that remain in the sport end up being
affected by the girls who leave as they are left with
too few players to form a team or no-one to play
with.
“I stopped netball because not
many girls my age were playing
and at school there weren't
enough people to carry it on”.
“When I got to 6th form there
weren't enough people to
make teams and the standard
is too high outside of school
so I stopped”.
“your friends prefer to go
shopping and if you are the only
one who wants to kick a ball
around it’s not cool!”
Maintaining numbers of players is important in keeping hold of those who do
want to play. Clubs need to have a bigger player base to allow for some drop
out.
VOX POP (3)
No-one my age to play with at the
club
BIG JUMP
FROM JUNIOR
TO SENIOR
LEAGUES
The transition from junior to senior leagues
is a sudden and significant leap
REASON
IMPACT
Senior players are more experienced/
better players
Girls are concerned that they won’t be as good,
they might struggle to keep up and lack
confidence playing against senior ladies.
Senior players are at a different life-stage
Senior ladies can be aged from late twenties to
fifties and have different interests to teenagers. A
lack of common interests makes it harder to
socialise and bond (especially in team sports).
Senior players are bigger and stronger
For some sports (typically the more physical/
contact sports) girls are concerned that they will
have to play against much stronger players, which
could increase the risk of injury.
Senior players have a different attitude
towards the sport
There is a feeling that women either take sport too
seriously or too light-heartedly and in either case
these girls view the sport differently.
BIG JUMP
FROM JUNIOR
TO SENIOR
LEAGUES
What girls have to say...
“It’s a massive jump to
women’s – 15 to 18 was a
big enough jump!”
Rugby union
“For netball once you go from under 17s you go into ladies
leagues and go in to a league with 50 year olds and it not
fun – they don't care about the sport so much”.
Netball
“Old fogies at the club can’t keep up with you. It’s not
fun playing with older people – the club I joined were
struggling for players my age”.
Tennis
“Our age (18/19) is really difficult as you’re
too old to play with people your age and the
old people are either doing it just for fun or
are seriously good. Its hard to play with
people the same standard at our age”.
Badminton
“Some football clubs have an under 18
team but many jump from under 16 to
all ages. It can be rough when you are
16 having to play with 30 year olds”.
Football
“I was 17 and everyone else was above the age of 25 –
I didn't like it. We did all the running - they would say
“young legs you can do it”, you get more injuries.
Playing people much older and bigger is scary”.
Netball
Easing and smoothing the transition will help increase girls’ confidence and
encourage them to stay in senior league.
NOT ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY IN
MATCHES
Playing in matches is fundamental to a good
experience of sport
REASON
IMPACT
Only the best players get opportunities to
play matches and compete
If you’re not one of the better in a squad, you
don’t get selected to play as much as others – this
can be disheartening and boring. Girls want to
play matches.
Competitions/tournaments don’t cater for
less serious or less good players
Some girls play for the enjoyment rather than
serious competition. They still want to work
towards something: to be able to compete and get
properly involved in the game is vitally important.
There aren’t enough opportunities to go on
tour
Going on tour is highly motivating: it offers
adventure, stories, friendships and bonding.
Plus, playing on the same circuit against the same
teams all the time can be come boring.
Whatever the level, girls want more opportunities to compete and play in
matches against different teams.
NOT ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY IN
MATCHES
What girls have to say...
“If you’re not good, if you don’t get on the
team then you’re just going to quit. If you’re on
thirds, then you’ve got no incentive”.
Hockey lapsed
“If you're not on the A team you don't get to
play many games so you don't get the fun
part. What’s the point if you're not going to
play any matches?”
Netball lapsed
“If the 2nd team always played when the 1st
team played then less people would quit – this
is the main reason why my friends have quit
sport”.
Netball current
“It’s really important to play a game – its what
you wait for and where you learn the most –
you can get bored watching on the side line”.
Rugby union
Drop out myths
Some hypotheses of reasons for drop out were
disproved in the research
MYTH:
REALITY:
Training sessions were too rigid
Regular sessions appeal – ensuring
dedication and good turnout
No female coaches
Female coaches not critical – attitude is more
important
The game is too formal
The ‘real’ game is liked – ‘don't mess with it’
Too much focus on competing vs. fitness
Playing matches is ‘what it’s all about’
No opportunity to play with boys
Girls like playing with girls – boys can be
overly competitive and too rough
Rules are complicated and hard to follow
Only at the start – you get used to them fast
Facilities were poor
Do not stop girls playing even if poor
Some sports are perceived to have a negative image for
girls. However, this is not a big enough reason to stop
playing
Girls are aware of the stereotypical images some sports have – particularly the
traditional male sports - rugby, football (and hockey).
Whilst it is not a reason in itself to put someone off playing it can be hard on
girls to experience name calling.
“People always ask me
how many lesbians are
in my team but it
doesn't bother me”.
Current rugby union
“I have experience of being
called gay... you can brush it
off but some people have
got low self confidence and
if it gets drilled into you
enough then it’s not nice”.
Current rugby league
“People think of butch
lesbian hockey players but if
you watch England or
Germany play you can see
they are all gorgeous and
they’re doctors and stuff”.
Current hockey
NB: Tennis is particularly successful in promoting a positive image of female
players – they are perceived to be glamorous and attractive as well as athletic.
More publicity could help to address these misconceptions.
Its not all bad –
what young women love about sport
Girls who don’t drop out of sport tell us
they feel a powerful sense of belonging
My passion
We’re in it
together
My release

My club is like
my family
I’ve grown up
playing
Safety and
Escape
Friends &
Socialisin
g
Challenges &
Achievement
s
I don’t know
what else I’d do
My identity
Enjoymen
t
Fitness &
Opportuniti
es
Team spirit
and support
What can we do to keep them in?
BAD COACHES/
SPORTS
TEACHERS
Sporting reasons
BIG JUMP
FROM JUNIOR
TO SENIOR
LEAGUES
Lifestyle reasons
LACK OF
SUPPORT FROM
SCHOOLS
CONFLICTS
WITH OTHER
COMMITMENTS/
PRESSURES
Personal reasons
COMPETING
SOCIAL
PRESSURES
LACK OF
PLAYERS
TIME FOR
SOMETHING
NEW
NOT ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY IN
MATCHES
There is potential for sporting bodies to address a number of reasons
concerning the sport infrastructure and experience to prevent drop out
Personal and lifestyle reasons are perhaps harder to tackle directly, however
could be addressed indirectly – as a secondary outcome of interventions
Schools and clubs working better together
Schools and clubs can improve their relationship:
• Schools could help sign post students to nearby clubs, ideally with named contacts
• Club coaches could visit schools and hold sessions to promote their clubs
• Clubs or schools could hold workshops with professional players
• Schools could share facilities with clubs and vice versa
Schools can provide more opportunities for match play across abilities to maintain
interest and motivation of players:
• PE teachers and coaches could arrange more tournaments and tours, mixing school and
club players
• A and B teams could train more and play matches together so that B (and C) team players
have more opportunities to play
LACK OF SUPPORT FROM
SCHOOLS
BAD COACHES/ SPORTS
TEACHERS
NOT ENOUGH OPPORTUNITY TO
PLAY IN MATCHES
BIG JUMP FROM
JUNIOR TO
SENIOR
LEAGUES
LACK OF
PLAYERS
NOT ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY IN
MATCHES
• Introduce under 18s or under 20s league to provide a
smaller jump to senior league
• Team up clubs with local university teams to allow junior
players to play with older players who are not
necessarily as experienced or as serious/ competitive as
senior leagues
• Get clubs talking to and working with each other – if one
is short of players then it could collaborate with another
to get enough players to maintain a team
• Offer more matches and competitions across all levels
(not just A teams)
• Make tournaments accessible for different levels so
everyone can take part. This give girls exposure to
playing against better players and helps players improve
their game
Initiatives based on these ideas could help maintain
participation across sports
VOX POP (4)
An example of a club that eases the
transition of junior to senior
Dealing with coaches and seasonality
• Ensure that coaches strike the right balance of fun and
seriousness in their training techniques
BAD COACHES/
SPORTS
TEACHERS
• Make coaches (particularly male coaches) aware and
understanding of how to adapt their coaching methods for
girls
• EXAMPLE - The FA is working with coaches using WSFF
‘Coaching Women’ resources to better understand
For seasonal sports, offer opportunities for players to train
and compete over summer months to help them maintain
fitness and prepare them better for the next season (and in
some cases help get them in shape for pre-season trials)
Initiatives based on these ideas could help maintain
participation across sports
Provide other reasons to stay
Opportunities to get involved in other ways such as refereeing or coaching may
offer additional personal benefits e.g. good for UCAS form/ CV, a way of earning
some money.
“it makes you feel really proud
when younger ones you have
taught improve – you can pass
your skills down to them”
“Coaching and refereeing
are other things people our
age can put on CVs which is
a good thing”
“it means that even if
you are not serious
about the sport you
can be part of things
which is good”
These ideas, which build on the benefits, could help sport to
successfully compete against other commitments and social
pressures
Tours and competitions
More opportunity to take part in national competitions and tours give girls
something to work towards and offer a sense of achievement
“If you said to someone you played in a
national competition people would think
wow that’s really good”
These ideas, which build on the benefits, could help sport to
successfully compete against other commitments and social
pressures
Building social aspect of sport
Clubs could better facilitate social events for their players:
• Hold BBQs, social outings (cinema, meal), social night at the bar where players can
hang out (can be non-alcoholic)
Events for family and friends to get involved:
• Encourage players to invite friends/ family to watch them play in training/ matches – this
helps encourage support, it can reassure family with regards to risk of injury and can
increase performance levels and motivation
• Hold social events where players can invite friends and families e.g. BBQs, award
ceremonies, annual ball/ party
• Hold sport events for friends and family to take part – adds a sense of fun and allows
everyone to join in and experience the sport
Combining socialising with sport can create a bridge between
the activity and other family/ social interests
Fundraising to overcome financial issues and
increase opportunities for tours/competitions
Finding creative ways to cover costs gives a real sense of team
spirit. It also gets family, friends and the community involved –
increasing the exposure of both the team and the sport
Girls at Stockport Basketball club have a great
attitude to working together and helping the team
stay afloat.
When they host matches they have to provide
food for the other team. They assign every team
member an item to make and bring along.
They raise money for their club fund. This year
they packed bags at Morrisons. They also
organise cake sales. All the money goes to the
club fund for trophies, mini bus, referees and
team trips.
The girls also keep in contact via Facebook to
pass on the latest news and chat about the game.
How do other organisations deal
with teenage drop out?
Case study: Girlguiding UK
Over to you
Group work
1) What is the
problem?
2) What reasons are there for drop out?
3) What might you try to overcome the
problem?
Further information
Chris Lillistone, WSFF, chris@wsff.org.uk
Carrie Myers, Girlguiding UK,
Carrie.Myers@girlguiding.org.uk