Where a girl lives shapes how much sport she plays compared with boys, according to new research from Public First commissioned by Sky, revealing stark inequalities in participation across the UK.
The new constituency-level analysis maps the sports participation gap between girls and boys across all 650 UK Parliamentary constituencies. While girls aged 11-18 play an average of 84 minutes less sport each week than boys nationally, Hampstead and Highgate has the smallest participation gap in London at just 62 minutes. These findings make the constituency a positive local success story in a city where girls miss out on an average of 90 minutes of sport each week compared with boys.
Sky’s Game Changing report, published last year, found girls miss out on 280 million hours of sport every year compared with boys. This new constituency-level research goes a step further, showing how the gap varies from one community to the next and where action could make the biggest difference. Ahead of National Fitness Day, the findings shine a light on the barriers preventing girls from being active and the opportunity to create more equal access to sport across the country. Sky’s research estimates that closing the gap could generate £570 million in annual productivity gains and save the NHS £73 million a year, and London could unlock £83 million in benefits by levelling the playing field.
Tulip Siddiq MP, MP for Hampstead and Highgate, said: “I was very proud to see that Hampstead and Highgate had the smallest gender gap in weekly sport attainment in London. The opportunity to play sports is hugely important for development and improving physical and mental health in children.
There is still work to be done across the country, particularly for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, to improve equal access to sport. I loved playing football as a child, and I believe that every girl deserves to feel like she belongs on the pitch, field or court.
In the weeks ahead, I will champion other MPs to follow the lead of my constituency and encourage as many girls to play sport as possible.”
Sky’s Chief Sports Officer UK & Ireland, Jonathan Licht, said:
“Every girl should have the opportunity to experience the confidence, friendships and sense of belonging that sport can bring. Yet too many girls are still missing out, and this research shows the barriers they face are not the same everywhere.
Closing the gap means tackling inequalities in access and investment, starting in publicly funded settings where opportunity should be equal for every girl. Now is the moment to turn evidence into action and deliver lasting change for girls across the country.”
The new constituency-level research strengthens the case for the recommendations set out in the Game Changing report. In addition to equality of sports funding from publicly funded institutions, other recommendations include a statutory requirement to ensure girls take part in a minimum of two hours of PE every week at school; a national day to celebrate girls and women in sport; helping girls feel confident in their kit; and increasing visibility of female icons through a targeted tax relief on live women’s sport production, which has been backed by 30 organisations from across sport.
Sky’s commitment to women’s sport goes beyond broadcasting 4,000 hours of live sport each year. By providing direct support for grassroots participation initiatives, such as The Alessia Cup and Judy Murray’s Learn to Lead programme, Sky aims to create lasting change by breaking down barriers to participation. In parallel, Sky works in partnership with rightsholders to drive sustainable growth for women’s sport, using tailored distribution strategies to reach new audiences and deepen engagement.