Wetherby and Easingwold named region's best-performing constituency for girls' participation in sport
Wetherby and Easingwold named Yorkshire and the Humber's best-performing constituency for girls' participation in sport
Wetherby and Easingwold named Yorkshire and the Humber's best-performing constituency for girls' participation in sport
Where a girl lives shapes how much sport she plays compared with boys, according to new research from Public First commissioned by Sky, revealing stark inequalities in participation across the UK.
The new constituency-level analysis maps the sports participation gap between girls and boys across all 650 UK Parliamentary constituencies.
While girls aged 11-18 play an average of 84 minutes less sport each week than boys nationally, Wetherby and Easingwold has the smallest participation gap in Yorkshire and the Humber at just 41 minutes.
These findings make the constituency a positive local success story in a region where girls miss out on an average of 93 minutes of sport each week compared with boys.
Local initiatives helping girls access and enjoy sport, such as Easingwold Town FC, Wetherby Sports Association and Tadcaster Albion AFC show how community-led action can support participation and help break down barriers to taking part. show how community-led action can help break down barriers to participation.
By creating more opportunities for women and girls to play sport locally, they are helping build confidence, improve wellbeing and create lasting pathways into grassroots sport.
Sky's Game Changing report, published last year, found girls miss out on 280 million hours of sport every year compared with boys.
This new constituency-level research goes a step further, showing how the gap varies from one community to the next and where action could make the biggest difference.
Ahead of National Fitness Day, the findings shine a light on the barriers preventing girls from being active and the opportunity to create more equal access to sport across the country.
Sky's research estimates that closing the gap could generate £570 million in annual productivity gains and save the NHS £73 million a year, and Yorkshire and the Humber could unlock £25 million in benefits by levelling the playing field.
Sir Alec Shelbrooke, MP for Wetherby and Easingwold, said: "It’s fantastic to see our Wetherby and Easingwold constituency being recognised for having the smallest gap in girls’ and boys’ sports participation in Yorkshire and the Humber.
"This is a real local success story and reflects the positive work being done across our communities to ensure young people have the opportunity to enjoy sport and physical activity.
I’m particularly keen to celebrate the schools, clubs and volunteers across our community who help make these opportunities possible.
"The work of organisations such as Easingwold Town FC, Wetherby Sports Association and Tadcaster Albion AFC, as well as so many others across our area, are vital in encouraging more young people to get active and ensuring that girls feel welcome, supported and able to participate in sport.
"National Fitness Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the progress we’re making locally, while also reminding ourselves that there is more to do to ensure equal opportunities for girls and boys to take part in sport."
Sky’s Chief Sports Officer UK & Ireland, Jonathan Licht, said: “Every girl should have the opportunity to experience the confidence, friendships and sense of belonging that sport can bring.
"Yet too many girls are still missing out, and this research shows the barriers they face are not the same everywhere.
"Closing the gap means tackling inequalities in access and investment, starting in publicly funded settings where opportunity should be equal for every girl. Now is the moment to turn evidence into action and deliver lasting change for girls across the country.”
The new constituency-level research strengthens the case for the recommendations set out in the Game Changing report.
In addition to equality of sports funding from publicly funded institutions, other recommendations include a statutory requirement to ensure girls take part in a minimum of two hours of PE every week at school; a national day to celebrate girls and women in sport; helping girls feel confident in their kit; and increasing visibility of female icons through a targeted tax relief on live women’s sport production, which has been backed by 30 organisations from across sport.
Sky’s commitment to women’s sport goes beyond broadcasting 4,000 hours of live sport each year. By providing direct support for grassroots participation initiatives, such as The Alessia Cup and Judy Murray’s Learn to Lead programme, Sky aims to create lasting change by breaking down barriers to participation.
In parallel, Sky works in partnership with rightsholders to drive sustainable growth for women’s sport, using tailored distribution strategies to reach new audiences and deepen engagement.
Girls in Wetherby and Easingwold miss out on 41 minutes of sport a week compared with boys, giving the constituency the smallest participation gap in Yorkshire and the Humber
New constituency-level research reveals how access to sport varies across the UK, with Yorkshire and the Humber recording an average participation gap of 93 minutes a week.
The findings highlight the impact of local factors such as access to facilities and opportunities to play sport
Closing the participation gap could deliver £25 million a year in economic and health benefits across Yorkshire and the Humber