Sports chance for women

The Active Women scheme will be delivered in Bexhill, Sidley, Hastings and St Leonards around the end of March, and is one of 20 projects backed as part of Sport England’s £10 million Active Women campaign to tackle the gender gap in sport.

Sport England claims only one in eight (2.761 million) women regularly play sport in England, trailing behind the men where one in five (4.176 million) take part.

Aiming to encourage women with children and those from disadvantaged communities to play more sport, the Hastings and Rother Active Women project focuses on eight sports - swimming, netball, tennis, rounders, table tennis, cycling, athletics and badminton – chosen after consultation with women living in the area.

Three community sport workers will run a mixture of taster sessions and regular drop-ins, designed to encourage women to play sport more regularly. They will also train 30 new sports coaches and recruit 60 new volunteers into sport.

As transport, tight budgets and childcare are potential obstacles for some women, the opportunities will be within walking distance, low-cost and, in many cases, with free crèche and play sessions running at the same time. There will also be sessions that the whole family can participate in.

The scheme is being run by Rother District Council, Hastings Borough Council, Orbit South Housing Association and NHS Hastings and Rother.

Cllr Deirdre Williams, Rother member for culture, sport and leisure said: “We are very pleased that with the additional funding we will be able to provide more opportunities for women in Sidley and Bexhill to be active.

“This is in line with what residents told us they wanted and I look forward to seeing even more women across the district participating in sport in the next few years.”

Jennie Price, Sport England Chief Executive, said: “For many women with children or those managing a tight budget, sport – and time to themselves - can slip down the list of priorities.

“The projects we’re funding today have asked local women what is preventing them from getting involved and what sports interest them, before coming up with an offer that is appealing and accessible.”