Danielle McDowell Project Manager Content About Female Sports Forum - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Danielle McDowell Project Manager

Content • About Female Sports Forum • The Research/Facts • Creating a Positive Experience • Examples of Good Practice & Interventions • Upcoming Opportunities

About FSF OUR VISON “For every women and girl across Northern Ireland to feel that participating in sport and physical activity is a vital part of everyday life” OUR AIM To work in partnership to increase opportunities and better experiences for females to participate in sport and physical activity at all levels in Northern Ireland

Strategy #ActiveFitSporty • Key actions for change, as highlighted in the Female Sports Forum Active, Fit & Sporty Strategy : Leadership Active Fit & Media Role Models Sporty Strategy Research & Evaluation

4 Key Pillars Leadership Drive cultural change and provide opportunities to involve more females in leadership roles Media Increasing the visibility of female sport physical activity and profiling success Role Models Inspiring and highlighting female role models can have a significant impact on participation Research & Evaluation Providing an evidence base to underpin future work and development

The Research In Particiaption • 35% of Women in NI achieve the recommended 30 mins of physical activity per week • 43% of women participating in sport are age 16-29 • Only 18% of those who participate are age 50+ Benefits • Gain Confidence • Boost Self esteem • Relieve Stress • Stay fit & Healthy • Social Interaction • Retention in club or organisation/willingness to give back

The Research Research carried out by Sports coach UK in 2015 shows that there are fewer female coaches (21%) across Northern Ireland when compared to the UK (30%) RYANI Coaches, Instructors & Officials Coaching and Instructors qualified in NI overall: 506 male (72%) / 200 female (28%) Key coaching figures: • Dinghy Instructor: 178 male (65%) / 96 female (35%) • Senior Dinghy Instructor: 66 male (72%) / 26 female (28%) • Race Coach Level 2 38 male (73%) / 14 female (27%) Powerboat Instructors: 137 male (91%) / 12 female (9%) Officials qualified in NI overall: 35 male (88%) / 5 female (12%) Key officials • Regional Race Officer 8 male (80%) / 2 female (20%) • National Race Officer 1 male /1 female

Inspiring Women & Girls’ Inspire with real role models & influencers at appropriate level

Attracting Women & Girls’ Task/Discussion What communication/advertising methods do you currently use? How much thought goes into the imagery and the message you are trying to send out or who you are trying to attract? Who is the target audience – beginners, coaches, instructors, officials, committee members?

Creating a Positive Experience Understanding your Audience What is important to Women & Girls? How do you know what Women & Girls want?

Creating a Positive Experience • Understanding your audience (the potential or current participants/coaches) participating in your programmes/sessions) is so important • By having a greater understanding of their motivations, values and barriers you will be better placed to attract and deliver to women and girls • Importantly when understanding your audience don’t think of them as a mass of like minded people; understand how they differ • Then try to build strategies, approaches and programmes that better fit the women you are trying to engage • We all know this intuitively… but it is normal and tempting to develop an approach and stick with it… • How many deliverers/coaches/instructors are armed with the skills and tools to be responsive to different people with different sets of needs?

Creating a Positive Experience Task/Discussion • Think about a positive OR negative experience that you had when attending a sports club, training session or a course for the very first time Describe; • How did it make you feel? • Did you return? If so, what made you go back? • Did you continue to go back? • Did the coach/instructor influence your experience? How?

Example of Good Practice Social Netball • Beginners, back in the game & over 40s • Emphasis on fun with casual approach • Adaptable based on locality • Taster sessions & community social clubs • Pathway to social leagues • Pathways to Netball NI clubs with social sections • Avenues into clubs, volunteering, officiating!

Example of Good Practice Gaelic for Mothers & Others • Provides women of all ages the opportunity to play Gaelic Football in a fun, non-competitive and social environment. • Is an opportunity for women to get their recommended weekly exercise in a fun way while meeting other mothers in the area. • Being a Mother is not a necessity but participants must be 21+ and not currently playing competitively with a club team. • Provide women with a chance to meet and interact with other women/ mothers in the community or from nearby parishes • Serves to create a fun and social dimension to any existing Ladies Football section in a club • Provide clubs with new members who may take up volunteer roles with the club!

Interventions Raise Participation Better engagement with females Consultations – find out what women want then cater for that More consideration to ways of advertising/recruiting, first time experiences for women & girl’s are even more important Women on Water Programmes have been successful Female only education courses/programmes Women may feel more comfortable around other women Funding may be more accessible Introductory Courses / Adapted Courses Mentoring Programmes New coaches, instructors and officials can all be offered mentor support (this does not need to be a female mentor) Player to Coach Scheme (The FA) Working Group (RYA) Come up with new idea’s and ways to encourage more women to participate and ways to support more women to take up coaching and instructing (Again this does not need to female only)

Social Media Training FSF are providing social media and brand alignment training as one off workshops. Media training for NGB’s, Clubs, Organisations – Brand alignment, promote your sport and profile your athletes Media training for individual and team athletes identified as being role models/brand ambassadors in their sport Delivered between 20 th – 23 rd March in Belfast and Limavady

Further Information Project Manager: Danielle McDowell Telephone: 02890 383825 Email: danielle@nisf.net Website: femalesportsforum.com Twitter: @FemSportsForum Facebook: femalesportsforum