NOW more than ever, I would love to have a crystal ball to clearly show me what the future will bring, as we continue living through the most uncertain period of our lives. However, what I do have is an insight from a recent survey to find out what barriers still exist for women and girls in their participation in sport.

This research, carried out by the Sport and Recreation Alliance before its conference on women in sport – Imagine. Believe. Achieve. – focused on three age groups and it was interesting to see how the barriers differed.

For under-18s, 18 to 64-year-olds and over-64s, there was some commonality in their main areas of concern. The youngest age group’s main concerns were peer pressure/fear of judgement, followed closely by lack of specific sport provision for girls in and out of school, with gender stereotypes and lack of role models following swiftly behind.

For the largest demographic, the 18 to 64-year-olds, the main issue was their inability to prioritise/carve out time for sport and physical activity. A near second was the impact from a negative experience of sport in childhood.

The oldest group felt their biggest barrier was negative stereotypes of older people’s physical capabilities, with limiting health conditions/illness and lack of access to appropriate provision trailing behind. So, some barriers are particular to age and experience while others, to a certain extent, have a common thread running through them.

The main issue, though, is how do we lift these barriers and ensure sport is for all? We need to deliver sport in a different way for the different age groups, moving away from a one-size-fits-all programme.

When you have data that enables you to understand the problem, we cannot ignore it and continue on as normal. Creating opportunities that fit in with the expectations of women and girls and recognising their needs is the way forward.