Our new funding pledge to enable gender equality

Today we’ve set out our intention to work with the sport and physical activity organisations we fund to ensure gender equality is at the heart of how they’re run.

Along with UK Sport, we've published a new pledge which recognises that women and girls still face significant inequalities across all areas of the sporting system – from community and school sport right up to the highest levels.

The pledge is part of The Equal Sport Project, an unprecedented cross-sector initiative to make the UK the world's leading nation for women and girls in sport.

The Equal Sport Project is uniting sport in the UK behind five shared ambitions to accelerate progress towards equality for women and men across sport – from local leisure centres to the biggest stadiums, and from grassroots pitches to boardrooms.

Our chief executive, Simon Hayes, said that while the sector has taken great strides towards a more equitable future, we must continue to work together to achieve more for women and girls.

"While we’ve made real progress, too many girls and women still face barriers that prevent them from taking part in sport, staying in sport and reaching their full potential," he said.

"We’re excited to be part of the Equal Sport Project and to be helping turn its ambition into action. No single organisation can solve these challenges alone, and this has to be a collective effort. 

"By coming together around five shared priorities, we can create a sporting system that is fairer, more inclusive and better for all women and girls."

Major sporting organisations from all parts of the UK sporting landscape – including the Football Association, Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League, Youth Sport Trust, England Netball, Lawn Tennis Association, Women’s Sport Trust, Women in Sport and Team GB – have published their own pledges to act and help deliver the project's ambitions.

The momentum of women and girls' sport has never been stronger: participation is growing, audiences are growing and investment is accelerating. But progress remains deeply uneven.

Our latest Active Lives survey results show that less than half (46%) of girls meet the recommended levels of physical activity, compared to over half (52%) of boys. For adults in England, a stubborn gender activity gap persists, with half a million fewer active women than men. 

A report this year by the Youth Sport Trust highlighted gendered attitudes are increasing, with 41% of boys agreeing some sports are for boys.

The same organisation points out that while nearly two-thirds (64%) of girls want to be more active, confidence, body image, unequal facilities and gender stereotypes continue to present barriers to participation.

Elsewhere, according to research published earlier this year by Sporting Insights, fewer than 1% of women working in sport believe gender equality has been achieved across the industry, while more than half believe they are paid less than men for carrying out the same role.

And the Women’s Sport Trust says that women's sport also continues to receive a disproportionately small share of media coverage, accounting for around 9% of sports coverage on key channels and 8% of prime-time sports coverage.

Greater access to sport can help improve health, wellbeing, confidence and social connectedness for women and girls across the country, helping provide the life-changing opportunities that sport can give them.

Beyond that, the rapid growth of women's sport represents one of the UK's most significant untapped economic, social and reputational opportunities. 

Growing audiences, investment, participation, events and innovation are creating new markets, jobs and opportunities across the sector. 

By establishing itself as the world's leading nation for women and girls in sport, the UK can strengthen its position as a global destination for sporting events, media, talent and investment.