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Benefits of Sport

The benefits of participation in sport and physical activity for women and girls are consistent with those experienced by other groups and individuals, including benefits to physical, mental, and social wellbeing, education, workforce outcomes, and more.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Sports organisations can also gain from including women and girls, including greater diversity in viewpoints, decision making and leadership, new ideas for strategies and programs, and increased membership, volunteer, and fan bases.9, 10, 11

Impact

  • Role of sport

    Role of sport

    Sport can play a positive role in the development, health, and wellbeing of women and girls.
  • Physical, mental, and social wellbeing

    Physical, mental, and social wellbeing

    Sport and physical activity participation can support physical, social, and mental wellbeing for women and girls.
  • Careers and education

    Careers and education

    Sport participation can have a positive relationship to success in academic or professional pursuits.

REFERENCES
  1. Chapter 16: Physical activity, exercise, and sport, opens in a new tab, Nankervis, Karen, Cousins, Wendy, Válková, Hana and MacIntyre, Tadhg, in ‘Health Promotion for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’, Laurence Taggart, Wendy Cousins (eds.), McGraw Hill/Open University Press, pp. 174-182, (2014).
  2. Physical Activity and Sports—Real Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden, opens in a new tab, Christer Malm, Johan Jakobsson, Andreas Isaksson, sports, Volume 7(5), 127, (May 2019).
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  4. Physical activity in European adolescents and associations with anxiety, depression and well-being, opens in a new tab, Elaine McMahon, Paul Corcoran, Grace O’Regan, et al., European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 26, pp.111–122, (2017).
  5. The Effect of Sport on the Level of Positivity and Well-Being in Adolescents Engaged in Sport Regularly, opens in a new tab, Yakup Bakir, Murat Kangalgil, Journal of Education and Training Studies, Volume 5(11), pp.98-104, (2017).
  6. Evaluation of the Sporting Chance Program, opens in a new tab, Lonsdale, M., Wilkinson, J., Armstrong, S., et al., Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, (2011).
  7. A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport, opens in a new tab, Rochelle Eime, Janet Young, Jack Harvey, et al., International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Volume 10, Article 98, (August 2013).
  8. The value and benefits of sport, Clearinghouse for Sport, (accessed 29 May 2024).
  9. Where are the Moms? Strategies to Recruit Female Youth-Sport Coaches, opens in a new tab, Krista Diedrich, Strategies: A Journal for physical and sport educators, Volume 33, pp12-17, (2020).
  10. Evaluation of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa’s National Policy for Gender Equity in Governance, opens in a new tab, Dr Jo Cribb, Sport NZ, (September 2022).
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  12. Benefits – Why Sports Participation for Girls and Women, opens in a new tab, Women’s Sports Foundation (30 August 2016).
  13. Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, opens in a new tab, Women’s Sports Foundation, (January 2020).
  14. Her Life Depends On It III: Sport, Physical Activity, and the Health and Well-Being of American Girls and Women, opens in a new tab, Staurowsky, E. J., DeSousa, M. J., Miller, K. E., et al., Women’s Sports Foundation, (May 2015).
  15. Barriers to Physical Activity for Women with Physical Disabilities: A Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Jurgi Olasagasti-Ibargoien, Arkaitz Castañeda-Babarro, Patxi León-Guereño, et al., Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, Volume 8(2), 82, (June 2023).
  16. How Can Sport-Based Interventions Improve Health among Women and Girls? A Scoping Review, opens in a new tab, Maja Pedersen, Abby King, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 20(6), 4818, (March 2023).
  17. Yarning with the Stars Project: An Indigenous evaluation protocol for a sport for development and peace program, opens in a new tab, Rose Whitau, Helen Ockerby, Journal of Sport for Development, Volume 7(13), pp.46-54, (September 2019).
  18. Girls on the Run: Impact of a Physical Activity Youth Development: Program on Psychosocial and Behavioral Outcomes, opens in a new tab, Maureen Weiss, Lindsay Kipp, Alison Phillips Reichter, et al., Pediatric Exercise Science, Volume 31, pp.330-340, (2019).
  19. Suncorp Australian Youth and Confidence Research 2019, opens in a new tab, Suncorp Australia, (May 2019).
  20. HSBC Women in Sports Survey, opens in a new tab, HSBC, (2018).
  21. Afterschool school triathlon training for 11- to 14-year old girls: Influences on academic motivation and achievement, opens in a new tab, Jennifer Gatz, Angela Kelly, Health Education Journal, Volume 77(2), pp.156-168, (2018).
  22. Feeling more confident, active and happier: What the World Dwarf Games mean to the Australian women's basketball team, opens in a new tab, Julie Dickson, Siren Sport/ABC, (5 November 2023).
  23. Why Equitable Opportunity Matters: What a Life in Sport Provides Women and Girls Beyond the Game, opens in a new tab, Mim Haigh, Athlete Assessments, (2020).
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  27. Promoting the Leadership Development of Girls through Physical Education and Sport, opens in a new tab, Dana Voelker, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Volume 87(3), pp. 9-15, (2016).
  28. Sport Participation for Academic Success: Evidence From the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, opens in a new tab, Katherine Owen, Bridget Foley, Ben Smith, et al., Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Volume 21(3), pp.238-246, (2024).
  29. Gender, Academics, and Interscholastic Sports Participation at the School Level: A Gender-specific Analysis of the Relationship between Interscholastic Sports Participation and AP Enrollment, opens in a new tab, Philip Veliz, Sohaila Shakib, Sociological Focus, Volume 47(2), pp.101-120, (2014).
  30. AusPlay Data Portal, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 8 February 2023).
  31. Why Girls Play Sports: Are Girls Motivated Differently in Various Parts of the World?, opens in a new tab, Global Nomads World, (26 November 2019).
  32. Women and Sport: insights into the growing rise and importance of female fans and female athletes, opens in a new tab. Repucom, (2014).
  33. Factors relating to women and girls' participation (retention and dropout) in sport, opens in a new tab, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, (February 2023).
  34. What sways women to play sport? Using influencers to unlock opportunities that positively impact women’s sporting behaviours, opens in a new tab, Women in Sport (2015).
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  51. The role of sports volunteering as a signal in the job application process, opens in a new tab, Sören Wallrodt, Lutz Thieme, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 20(3), pp.255-275, (2020).
  52. Does Athletic Participation Signal Employability? An Experimental Analysis of Male and Female Athlete Job Applicants, opens in a new tab, Brendan Dwyer, Jennifer Gellock, Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, Volume 11, pp.40-64, (2018).
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