Leading British Sportswomen come together to support women’s sport
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, joined Barbara Keeley MP, Tracey Crouch MP and a host of leading British Sportswomen at the Houses of Parliament this week to support Us Girls, a ground-breaking initiative to get 30,000 young women living in disadvantaged communities more active.
With £2.3 million of National Lottery investment from Sport England, Us Girls is being delivered by a consortium of organisations led by national sport development charity StreetGames, which is dedicated to helping women in disadvantaged areas access sport.
As part of Sport England’s Active Women campaign, Us Girls aims to help tackle the widening gender gap in sport by offering sporting opportunities tailored to the needs of women. With activities taking place across a range of times and locations in over 50 of the most disadvantaged areas in England, it is helping women overcome barriers to sport such as low income, child care provision and transport issues.
Wednesday’s event – which was attended by captains from all of England’s major team sports including cricket’s Charlotte Edwards, rugby union’s Sarah Hunter, rounders’ Nicolla Weekes and netball’s Jade Clark - showcased the fantastic role models we have in women’s sport and how they connect to supporting female participation programmes such as Us Girls nationwide.
England’s elite were joined by a number of prominent British Internationals, including England’s international netballer, Tamsin Greenway, and Paralympic and World Champion Tanni Grey-Thompson.
The event also marked the publication of the first-ever Women’s Sporting Calendar, which features Britain’s leading sportswomen and whose profits will help raise funds for women’s sport.
