The research highlights an opportunity to empower girls to take on leadership, coaching and organising roles and develop confidence as part of the Girls Active Coaches programme.  

Despite only a small proportion of girls in a recent survey having had opportunities to coach, lead or organise sport, the majority wanted to do so. While around 40% said that they also felt confident or very confident in leading and influencing other young people, data also indicates that over half of girls rated themselves average or poor when it came to leadership skills and feeling empowered to inspire and mobilise others.  

However, the pandemic has impacted girls’ experience and confidence with physical activity in different ways. Over 40% of girls surveyed said that they enjoyed taking part in physical activity and are more motivated to be active since the pandemic, whilst 35% also said that they are less confident to take part as a result of the past 18 months.  

These insights highlight the opportunities to build on girls’ interest in coaching, leadership and organisational skills, the increased importance of physical activity for many girls as a result of the pandemic and the growing challenge of confidence both in being active themselves and in their own skillset to empower their peers.  

This weekend (11th to 13th June 2021), the Girls Active Coaches Event goes virtual, meaning more young people than ever will get the opportunity to access free content from Youth Sport Trust to build their coaching and leadership skills to create change in their own schools and communities. Funded by Sport England National Lottery funding and supported by Women in Sport, you can watch the content live from 11th-13th June or watch the recordings which will be available for up to two weeks after the event.  

Keynote speakers include BBCs’ Strictly Come Dancing pro Amy Dowden, Olympic Diving legend Leon Taylor and the first Hijabi Boxing Coach and speaker Zahra Butt. 

Sessions for 150 girls on the Girls Active Coaches programme will run alongside the open content too, ensuring young leaders get the access to the development in groups to enhance their skills.  

You can access the programme and the event at https://yst-live.org/login/ and to log in, simply use the password YST to gain access.