1. Engaging women and girls in sport
- what Doorstep Sport Clubs need
to know

2. Who we are
• Us Girls is the ground-breaking initiative to get
30,000 young women from disadvantaged
areas in England more active
• Us Girls is the public face of the Active
Women Consortium (64 organisations),
which is funded by Sport England and
delivered by StreetGames
• StreetGames is the award-winning sports
charity that brings sport to the doorstep of
young people in disadvantaged communities
across the UK
• Us Girls works with young women aged
between 16 and 25 in 60 areas of high
deprivation in England
• The programme began in April 2011.

3. What we have learnt - 12 months
Sources of Insight
•Quarterly project m&e reports c. 50 projects
•Brunel University - project manager research /
participant views
•Diva Creative - research 16-19 year old college
students - attitudes and engagement in sport
•Doorstep Sport Advisers – thematic pieces of work
•Case studies.

4. Top Ten characteristics of a good
programme
1. Partnerships
2. Flexibility in delivery
3. Willingness to change when not working
4. Effective coaches and leadership
5. Participant led-matching need
6. Families and friendship groups
7. Convenience of sessions
8. Regularity of sessions
9. Importance of value based pricing plans
10. Incentives work.

5. Implications for Doorstep
Sport Clubs

6. Multi-sport sessions
“If they go straight
into a sports
“Sometimes
session, it will put
you don’t know
them off”
what you like”.
“We try to give young
women an experience of
different sports that they
might not have played
before or for a long
time”
“Multi sport is absolutely
right with our target group,
perfect for reluctant young
women without a sporting
background”.

7. Multi-sport approaches
• Multisport session – one sport after the
other
• Multisport session – choice of sports at any
one time
• Multisport courses with one sport for a
block of 4/6 weeks
• Multisport taster courses with a different set
sport each week
• One off multisport events/tasters.

8. Style of session
PAY &
FUN
PLAY
INFORMAL
NON
FEMALE
-COMMITAL
SOCIAL ONLY
CASUAL FLEXIBLE
HIDDEN
COACHING
FRIENDLY
MUSIC
ACCESSIBLE
CONVENIENT
AFFORDABLE NON-
PRESSURED

9. Other things to think about…..
Considerations
Doorstep sport basics Right time, right place, right price, right style
Programme of activities • Programme must reflect demand
• Consider a wider range of activities - new
partners, additional training,
demos/tasters, multi-sport
• Activities with a ‘twist’
Encourage & develop a This may involve:
sense of independence •Simply showing participants where to go / how
to find info
•Visits to sports venues to teach women how to
use them
•Liaising with leisure centre staff to ensure a
welcoming environment
•Discuss with centre staff the most appropriate
communication channels & messages
Foster links with NGBs Be aware of ‘informal sport’ offers
Identify and support peer • Women are influenced by other women
champions • Importance of friendship groups a peer
champion.

10. Other things to think about…..
Considerations
Communication - Using • Posters and leaflets isn’t enough
the ‘right’ tools & • Messages - fun, short and to the point, vibrant
messages • Emphasis - losing weight, looking good, relaxing,
de-stressing, socialising
• Images – real people who are having fun
• Channels – WOM, Facebook, tasters/ demos, sms
• Loyalty cards, discounts, incentives
Provide opportunities to Coaching, volunteering and decision making
develop leadership opportunities
skills
Support young people • Clubs & events – helping to identify where these
to look for opportunities are and how to join them
to join sports clubs • Highlight appropriate player pathways/exit routes
• Creation of new informal groups
Increase motivation • Health and lifestyle – drip feed
• Explain the value of lifelong activity
• Use of music!
Develop sports specific This may require the provision of:
skills •Structured coaching opportunities; learn basic skills,
build confidence, put skills into practice
•Setting participants skills or tricks to practice between
sessions
•Recognition, rewards and incentives
•Access to competitive opportunities

11. Activity 1
• Think about who you want to work with
in the future or who you want to work
with more
• Give that person a ‘name’
• Provide a quote from that person – what
they currently think about sport
• What are the motivations for this person
to do sport or to do more sport
• What are the barriers that stop this
person participating.

12. Activity 2
• Your commitment to working with
women and girls in the next 3 months….

13. Us Girls - Plans for the future
• A series of practical ‘How to’ guides
• Interactive (& fun!) 3hr workshop - ‘Breaking the
myth of Leanne – engaging women & girls in
sport & physical activity’
• Identifying participants and their needs
• Recruiting & engaging young women –
how to reach them
• Consideration of different settings
• Style of delivery.

14. For more info or to join the
Us Girls network visit:
www.usgirls.org.uk
Or contact:
helen.crowley@streetgames.org or
claire.wheeler@brunel.ac.uk (for London
projects)