LAST week was a busy one for those involved in sport as it was Women & Girls In Sport week. There was a particular focus on Friday with it being Active Girls Day.

The sporting community was buzzing with tales being regaled every day about how to join in with sport, become a member of a club, learn how to officiate, nothing was off limits as we collectively tried to encourage those who don’t participate in sport to get involved. Age wasn’t a barrier as we reached out to all girls and women at every stage of life, hoping that it will inspire those who still feel disengaged, for many different reasons, to give it a try.

Rocksport Radio were fully behind it and every morning Liz Clark carried out an interview with someone who was currently active in sport. Their ethos is to cover all sport which they do on a daily basis. This offers an opportunity for those women and girls who achieve great success in sport to showcase their success and have their story heard.

Another benefit of the week was the announcement by Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick of a £300,000 fund for projects by governing bodies or local authorities helping women and girls take part in sport.

Awards will range from £10,000 to £30,000 and it is hoped that it will build on the success of the Sporting Equality Fund, launched in 2017, which supported projects aimed at increasing activity levels in women and girls.

All this dovetails nicely with the work of the Scottish Government’s Women & Girls in Sport Advisory Board, of which I am pleased to be involved in. Our four areas of focus will be around prevention, intervention, reconnection and continuation, while our aim is to make recommendations to the Government that will help shape future policy and enable us all to understand and breakdown the barriers that still prevent many women and girls from being active.

So in a nutshell, it was a busy week with lots of positive media coverage, excellent social media output – #activegirls #shecanshewill – and a welcome financial boost from the Government. All a good week’s work.