From case studies to research reports to strategic recommendations, WSFF produces a variety of written materials which share our insight into the barriers women face in sport and physical activity, and how to tackle them.
Fact sheet
In this factsheet, WSFF illustrates the benefits to sports bodies of working with women and girls. Focusing on the business case and...
Fact sheet
There has been a significant decrease between 2007-08 and 2008-09 in women’s regular sport participation (down 61,000 to 2.727 million) while men have seen a...
Published in March 2010, this factsheet highlights the headline findings for women's sports participation from the 2008-09 Active People Survey. It also...
Case study
“Fantastic! So easy to understand with achievable activities for all girls.”
Aim HI is a resource that contains over 50 activities for girls, based on the idea that good health is a combination of physical, mental and social...
Fact sheet
Around 10,700 women took part in angling at least once a month – approximately one in 2,000 women
The household income profile of female anglers is...
Fact sheet
Female archers are more likely to be from households with high incomes – almost four in ten archers have household incomes of over £41,600 compared with just a...
Archery participation overview
Archery is the 27th most popular participation sport for women, ahead of shooting and fencing
Around 23,500 women took...
Fact sheet
London and the South East have the highest women’s participation rates. Yorkshire and the North West are less well represented amongst women than men
Athletics participation overview
Around 694,600 women take part in athletics every week
Between APS2 and APS3 we saw a significant increase in women’s...
Case study
“Back to Netball is designed to encourage women that may find it too daunting to enter a competitive club environment or may not have enough time to...
Following the overwhelming success of four Back to Netball sessions run in partnership with Mid Sussex District Council and Freedom Leisure, a need for...
Fact sheet
Badminton is the 7th most popular sport for female participation
Badminton participation overview
Badminton is the 7th most popular sport for female participation - around 222,300 women play badminton every week...
Fact sheet
In this fact sheet we explore the range of practical, personal and social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls becoming involved in...
Fact sheet
Baseball/softball appeals to a BME audience. Almost one-third of all female players are of BME background, compared to just one in 10 of the general population...
Baseball and softball participation overview
0.08% of women ( around 17,100 women) played baseball/softball at least once a month in 2008-09
Female baseball/...
Fact sheet
Basketball appeals to a BME audience, especially so for women. A third of players are of BME background, compared to just one in ten of the general population
Basketball participation overview
Basketball is the 13th most popular participation sport for women and the 4th most popular team sport
Around...
Case study
“The introduction of Bollywood dance as part of the extra-curricular programme has proved to be a resounding success. The participation levels of the...
We wanted to engage girls who were largely inactive within the curricular PE programme and extra-curricular activities.
The target audience of girls...
Fact sheet
Bowls has a relatively even gender split – 0.9% of all women have played in the last month compared with 1.25% of men
The sport is played predominantly by the...
Bowls participation overview
Bowls is the 11th most popular participation sport for women
The sport experienced a significant decrease in female...
Fact sheet
Boxing remains predominantly a male sport, with approximately six times as many men as women taking part
Boxing participation overview
Boxing is the 23rd biggest participation sport for women
There has been no significant change in female participation in...
Fact sheet
Just 2% of female canoeists/kayakers are from a BME group, considerably lower than the population average
Canoeing and kayaking participation overview
Around 19,400 women canoe/ kayak at least once a week
There has been a significant increase in female...
Report
In the report you will find both stories of WSFF and the past 25 years of women’s sport – presented in a way which we hope fulfils two objectives; firstly...
Celebrating Silver, Going for Gold marks WSFF's 25th birthday with a look back at a quarter century of records from women's sport.
From Tessa Sanderson...
Report
A national target has been set for two million more people to be more active by 2012, of which at least one million should be women. But with 24 million...
Creating a Nation of Active Women provides the framework to address the crisis detailed in It’s time. But it’s more than a strategy for change. It is a stark...
Fact sheet
Women who play cricket also like playing other team sports (football - 36.1%, basketball -15% and rounders - 15%)
Cricket participation overview
Cricket is the 25th most popular participation sport for women, but the 7th most popular team sport
15,000 women play cricket...
Fact sheet
Women from high income households are twice as likely as women from low incomes to cycle regularly
Cycling participation overview
Cycling is the 4th most popular ‘sport’ that women take part in on a regular basis for recreation
Regular recreational cycling...
Fact sheet
Monitoring is recommended to eliminate all forms of discrimination whether intentional or unintentional. As well as ensuring that there is no present...
Fact sheet
Almost seven times as many women as men take part in equestrian activities
Equestrian participation overview
Equestrian is the 5th most popular activity for women and one of just seven sports that has more female than male...
Case study
Since Jan 2008 ECFA has been running female ‘get back into football’ sessions within Essex’s Metropolitan Boroughs as well as outer Essex. The success of the...
Fact sheet
Female participation in EM&D decreased between 2007-08 and 2008-09 from 5.24% to 4.94%
Exercise, Movement and Dance participation overview
EM&D is the fourth most popular participation ‘sport’ for women
Around 1,057,600 women take part in EM...
Case study
The project aims to tackle the low number of Muslim women and girls in sport, in order to bring equality through the arena of sport. This is done through the...
Case study
The London FA Female Officials Programme is run in partnership with Arsenal Girls’ Centre of Excellence. Starting in 2008/09, it consists of a group open...
Fact sheet
Fencing is the 34th most popular participation sport for women, behind archery and shooting
Fencing participation overview
Around 6,400 women took part in fencing at least once a month in 2008-09, a significant decrease since 2007-08
Women make up a...
Case study
“The netball league has been a huge success and has fostered a real team spirit. All the girls enjoyed themselves. The regular weekly training...
We wanted to increase girls' participation in sport and physical activity at Bishopsbriggs School in Scotland. We aim to improve girl’s fitness levels and...
Fact sheet
Football participation overview
Football is the 8th most popular sport for female participation and the most popular team sport
More adult women are now...
Fact sheet
In addition to a lot of committment and an innovative approach, getting more women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity may also...
Case study
Futsal Fever is a project which targets females aged 16+ who attend FE and HE institutes across Bedfordshire.
Case study
"Our Voice, Our Choice, Our Sport"
Girls Active is a national programme to create opportunities for girls to express how they feel about PE and sport and provide opportunities for girls to...
Case study
"I participate in football, short tennis and basketball every week and this helps me make new friends. Sport also gives me a rush of energy and when playing...
The uptake of sport and physical activity among the girls in the school has been low and a large number of girls did not use to take part in PE at all....
Case study
“Many factors have contributed to the success of the Girls in Sport project but the planning, staff commitment and in particular the innovative marketing...
In order to reach the national physical activity recommendation of 1hr of moderate activity every day, we created the ‘Girls in Sport’ club at the Meldrum...
Fact sheet
As female golfers are older, it is unsurprising that one in ten of them are retired and most of them do not have children living at home – unlike most other...
Golf participation overview
While golf is the 10th most popular sport for women, it is still dominated by men with almost six times as many men playing at...
Case study
Our project is designed to identify talent for Great Britain's female sitting volleyball squad in preparation for the London 2012 Paralympics. We are...
Fact sheet
Gymnastics has seen massive decline in participation numbers from 2007-08 to 2008-09
Gymnastics and trampolining participation overview
Gymnastics is the 16th most popular participation sport for women
Young people are the primary...
Fact sheet
Just a tiny proportion of hockey players are BME women, considerably lower than the population generally
Hockey participation overview
Hockey is the 3rd most popular team sport for female participation and the 12th most popular physical activity
Around 47,...
Fact sheet
This factsheet outlines how and why sports should gender impact assess their strategies. Exploring how the process can help you to determine whether your...
Fact sheet
Each sports club is unique, that’s part of the beauty of sport. Each team or club has its own history, its own traditions and characters as well as its...
Fact sheet
There is no one-size fits all approach to the perfect NGB for women and girls. Each sport is different, each governing body will know its own sport better than...
Fact sheet
WSFF is often asked ‘what are the health benefits of girls and women taking part sport and exercise?’ And we say – there are so many! This NEW factsheet...
Report
Did you know that more than 80% of women are not doing enough physical activity to benefit their health? Young women aged 16 – 24 are nearly half as active as...
Published in 2007, It's time is a ground-breaking research study into women's participation in sport and exercise.
The report reveals the true extent of the...
Fact sheet
Judo is a young woman’s sport – three times as many 16 to 34 year olds as 35 to 54 year olds take part
Judo participation overview
While judo has a relatively small numbers of women taking part (4,590), those who do are more satisfied than the average with all...
Case study
“I hated getting changed. The room was dull and felt dirty - it was horrible to get changed in. There was never any toilet paper or paper towels at the...
From the Fit For Girls survey we found 17% of S2/3 girls believed the facilities for PE were not good. We discussed this with the girls and found out that they...
Fact sheet
There has been no significant change in women’s participation in lacrosse from 2005-06 to 2008-09
Lacrosse participation overview
Lacrosse is the 34th most popular participation sport for women, and the 11th most popular team sport
Almost as many women as...
Case study
"Participants were empowered to be ambassadors to promote the project within their school. They were also encouraged to Activate an Angel and bring a...
Active Angels is an innovative multi-activity project that aims to contribute to the health of 14-16 year old girls by encouraging and sustaining their...
Case study
From 8th February to 14th February 2010 PRO-ACTIVE South London facilitated a women and girls sports and physical activity festival across South London branded...
Fact sheet
This guide has been designed to help you identify key steps and tools in planning a successful marketing campaign to attract more women and girls into the...
Fact sheet
No significant change in weekly and monthly participation of women in mountaineering from 2007-08 to 2008-09
Mountaineering participation overview
Mountaineering is the 17th most popular sport for female participation, and the 6th most ‘in demand’ activity...
Fact sheet
The world of sport is male dominated and women often come up against considerable challenges. In this fact sheet we address those issues faced by Muslim women...
Fact sheet
On average, netball is a young woman’s sport. Three quarters of players are 34 or under
Netball participation
Netball is the 11th most popular sport for female participation, the 2nd most popular team sport
Netballers are less satisfied...
Report
In 2005, the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation commissioned Opinion Leader Research (OLR) to carry out a study into socially excluded mothers with young...
Report
In the autumn of 2004, the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) commission researchers from Bristol University to carry out a six-month qualitative...
Report
This latest report from the Commission on the Future of Women’s Sport shows that women’s sport represents a great opportunity for switched-on investors.
A team...
Case study
Having looked at the results from the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation ‘Sweat in the City’ programme Active Sussex and Inspire Leisure wanted to...
Fact sheet
Rounders is more popular with women than men
Rounders participation overview
Rounders is the 22nd most popular participation sport for women - around 17,100 women play rounders at least once a week
There...
Fact sheet
Between 2007-08 and 2008-09, there has been a significant decrease in participation among women who row monthly
Rowing participation overview
18,900 women and 30,100 men row at least once a week
One in five female rowers is a student
Almost three in ten affiliated...
Fact sheet
Rugby league is predominately played by young women most likely due to opportunities to play at school or university. This is backed up by the fact that 57% of...
Rugby league participation overview
Around 6,400 women played rugby league at least once a month in 2008-09
Almost three in five female players are students...
Fact sheet
Rugby Union participation overview
10,000 women play rugby union at least once a week
Rugby union is predominately played by young women – over 8 in 10 players...
Fact sheet
Sailing does not have a very representative profile of women from different ethnic groups or low incomes – less than 1% of female sailors are from a BME group...
Sailing participation overview
21,800 women sail at least once a week
There has been no significant change in the number of female sailors from 2007-08 to...
Fact sheet
Just 6% of women who take part in shooting are from a BME background, compared with 10% in the general population
Shooting participation overview
8,600 women took part in shooting at least once a month in 2008-09
Shooting has the largest gender disparity of all Sport...
Fact sheet
Skiing is typically carried out by people from high income households. Over six in ten females skiers live in households with incomes of over £41,600
Skiing participation overview
Skiing is the 15th most popular participation sport for women
There has been a significant decrease in female participation...
Fact sheet
This factsheet provides a succinct overview of issues relating to women’s sport and participant stereotyping on the grounds of sexual orientation and key...
Fact sheet
The concept and practice of equity is fundamental in sport, and needs to underpin all thinking in the sports sector. This factsheet explains more about...
Fact sheet
The sport manages to retain its male players, actually growing their numbers through the middle age groups, but sees a drop off in female players in their 20s...
Squash and racquetball participation overview
Squash is played by about 38,600 women at least once a week – making it the 14th most played sport
There has...
Case study
"My confidence has grown and I feel like I could fit into a place like a gym"
Sweat in the City (SitC) was an innovation research project to help to find out why 16- 24 year old women are half as active as men of the same age. With the...
Report
The project was designed to gain a better understanding of how to motivate women to become more active. Today, 16 year-old girls leave school half as active as...
This report details the innovative research project Sweat in the City which project provided over 2000 inactive 16 – 24 year old women a three month free and...
Fact sheet
Swimming is more popular with women than men
Swimming participation overview
Swimming is the most popular sport for female participation by a considerable margin; it is also the most ‘in demand’ activity...
Fact sheet
Table tennis is more popular with men than women: more than twice as many play
Table tennis participation overview
Table tennis grew fast as a sport among women from 2005-06 to 2007-08, but failed to grow as significantly in 2008-09
Only...
Fact sheet
There has been a significant change in female participation in taekwondo (once a month) from 2007-08 to 2008-09
Taekwondo participation overview
Taekwondo is the 28th biggest participation sport for women
Around 9,700 women participate in taekwondo every week,...
Fact sheet
This factsheet explains the reasons why teenagers drop out of sport, and provides solutions for NGBs, clubs and coaches for retaining them.
It was first...
Fact sheet
Tennis has one of the smallest gender difference of all Sport England funded sports, with only hockey having greater parity
Tennis participation overview
Tennis is the 6th most popular sport for female participation
Around 228,900 women played tennis every week in 2008-09...
Report
The Energy Project
This handbook documents the journey, research and findings of The Energy Project, a study that aimed to find ways to increase physical...
Case study
Linking fashion, beauty and exercise this project aims to get girls moving in their local community and to empower them to make positive choices about their...
The aim of the programme is to increase participation amongst 11 to 16 year old girls and encourage them to take up more physical activity opportunities within...
Fact sheet
This factsheet will assist coaches and clubs in developing the player pathway for women in their sport.
We need to better recognise that women and girls take...
Report
Summary of the key findings:
Why some women DO swim:
For leisure.
An enjoyable swimming occasion for young women consists of a swim with the following mix- a...
In autumn 2005 WSF and the Amateur Swimming Association commissioned HNI International to carry out a six month research project into women aged 25-34 and...
Report
Drawing on lessons from the world's most successful companies it makes the business case for having more women in sport's senior management and sets out...
Trophy Women? was produced by the Commission on the Future of Women's Sport in conjunction with Opportunity Now. The report reveals the extent to which men...
Case study
Little League Netball provides the opportunity for girls aged 8-11 to play competitive netball and receive coaching regardless of ability to pay or play. The...
Fact sheet
Four in ten female volleyball players are students, more than five times the female population in general
Despite the fact that most female volleyball players...
Volleyball participation overview
16,500 women plays volleyball at least once a week
There has been a significant decrease in the number of female volleyball...
Fact sheet
Weightlifting is a young persons sport twice the proportion of 16-34 year old women as 35+ take part in weightlifting. That said, the female age profile is...
Weightlifting participation overview
Around 13,400 women took part in weightlifting at least once a week in 2008-09; no significant change in participation...
Case study
Female Coach Development is an innovative project aimed at sustaining the participation of teenage girls in football through the provision of more qualified...
Case study
The women and girls in judo project focuses on creating environments to encourage the retention of female members (including special needs members). To do...
Fact sheet
In September 2009 WSFF delivered a workshop at the annual BUCS conference. This factsheet captures some of the key elements of the presentation and the...
Fact sheet
WSFF believe that the IOC should achieve gender parity in number of medals available, and the total number of athletes at the Olympic Games by 2016.
Hosting...
Fact sheet
This fact sheet is provides a starting point for those looking to develop their own projects aimed at getting more women involved in coaching.
Since 2000...
Case study
"The Women in Motion project has provided opportunities for hard to reach groups to be active in the local community for free. The participants are...
The ‘Women in Motion’ project is a BIG Lottery funded initiative which sits within the Living Well West Midlands portfolio. It is one of 29 innovative health...
Report
The audit exposes just how uneven the playing field currently is when it comes to men and women. Across leadership, investment and promotion in sport, women...
Backing a winner: unlocking the potential in women's sport
The Women in Sport Audit 2007/2008 looks at the inequalities faced by women's sport. The...
Case study
The project targeted women who may not have had the opportunity to become involved in sports coaching without the programme. Training was no longer cost...
From August 2006 until July 2008 the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) managed a project that enabled 159 women across London to pursue sports...
Case study
"IT’S FUN, IT’S SAFE, IT’S SOCIAL!"
The Women’s Running Network (WRN) was founded 11 years ago in Exeter to encourage women to run who would not normally consider that they could. Our ethos...
Fact sheet
Just a quarter of girls meet current recommended levels of physical activity a week
Female drop off in sport starts earlier than males’ and is also more...
This new factsheet summarises the recent key findings on young women and girls' physical activity.
It brings together quantitative data from a number of...
