Bath MP calls for government to “follow in Bath’s impressive footsteps” and facilitate greater inclusion of girls in grassroots sports
26 February 2024
Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, grilled the Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer, on the government’s plans to improve inclusivity within grassroots sports programmes.
On the 22nd February, Wera Hobhouse grilled Lucy Frazer on the progress her department had made towards implementing their Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme with a specific focus on encouraging girls’ participation.
Over 1 million girls in the UK lose interest in sports as they reach their teenage years. This is often a result of feeling judged by their peers or lacking the confidence to participate fully. Having visited Bath City Youth Football Club, the Bath MP observed first-hand the benefits of grassroots sports and recreation towards improving young people’s mental health. She noted the importance of ensuring that girls do not miss out on these benefits as a result of being excluded from sports programmes.
Bath City Youth Football Club (BCYFC) runs several girls’ teams featuring 140 girls across many age groups - an increase of almost 200% on the previous year - with the aim of encouraging girls’ participation in football so that they enjoy the life-long benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle. The Club is working extremely successfully against the odds, given that Bath is officially recognised as being underprovisioned for Grassroots Sports Facilities. This is of particular concern to BCYFC as they hope to offer capacity for a further 50-60 girls from season 2024-25.
As such, Mrs Hobhouse asked the Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to explain whether her department had taken the impact of gender into account when implementing the Multi-Sports Grassroots Facilities Programme. Lucy Frazer welcomed her question, responding that the government had a national strategy to improve inactivity along with establishing a National Physical Activity Taskforce to encourage women and girls to participate in sports.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“As it is common for girls to lose interest in sports as they become older, not due to a lack of passion for the sport but because they feel self-conscious, it is crucial that we do all we can to keep girls engaged with sports.
“The government should follow in Bath’s impressive footsteps in providing safe spaces for women and girls to play sports. Despite battling against the odds of being an underprovisioned area for grassroots sports, Bath City Youth Football Club has cultivated a welcoming environment for girls of all ages to participate in football and continues to grow the numbers of girls’ participation.”
“We must take every opportunity to ensure that sports are as inclusive as possible because they are essential to improving our physical and mental wellbeing. No one should miss out on these vital benefits.
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