£10 million to get women active in sport

Sport England has announced a £10 million National Lottery funding round to encourage ‘Active Women’ – in a drive to get more women from disadvantaged communities, and women caring for children, playing sport. 

At present, one in eight women regularly play sport in England . Whilst this has increased significantly since 2005/2006, women's participation still trails behind that of men, with one in five men active.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport, said:

“Getting more women and girls to play sport is top of my agenda so it’s fantastic that Sport England has committed £10 million to making sure this happens. Our sportswomen have had a bumper year and I hope the successes of stars like Jessica Ennis and the England women’s cricket team will inspire more women across the country to make that important first step.

The launch of ‘Active Women’ coincides with the announcement that Sport England is investing £1.4 million of government funding in the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF). WSFF’s work includes helping sports governing bodies, in which Sport England is investing £480 million to deliver more sporting opportunities, to shape and deliver sport so that it meets the individual needs of women and therefore increases participation.