At school I played soccer. It had to be with the boys, because us girls didn't have our own team (women's soccer wasn't big in the '80s). As the only girl in the team, I felt pretty good about doing it for the sisterhood and taking it to those smelly boys.
The fact that I was a bit of an oddball in the school-sports department because I was gagging to have a crack at everything didn't deter me from noticing the comparatively low participation rate among my fellow female students. Sadly, nothing seems to have changed. Our sportswomen are world beaters, but in our schools we still tend to see girls sitting around chatting at recess while boys kick a ball.
I'm hopeful this will change with the government's Sporting Schools initiative, announced in the May budget. The program offers $100 million to schools to run activities across 35 major sports and will directly link schools with sports clubs to drive participation. Frankly, I'm loving it. But there are other issues at play for girls in arguably the most self-conscious time of their lives – issues of body image and how they look in a sports uniform, as well as change rooms and shower facilities.
Getting sweaty doesn't always sit well with girls, particularly if they have to spend the rest of the day in a classroom. And you can add often being keen to make an impression on their peers.
If we're serious about getting girls to participate in sport, maybe we need to properly examine the wider issues. Maybe we should start with avoiding same-sex PE and sports sessions, and be more sensitive to the concerns some girls face in this arena. Then we can focus on putting them in a supportive environment and equipping girls with enough skills to develop a long-term connection with the sport of their choice.
Michelle's tip
There's no better start to an active lifestyle than school sports, so encourage your children to participate!
