Over half of girls nationwide are struggling to meet the recommended minimum of 60 minutes daily exercise, with 56% not meeting the target, according to Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey.

This figure is exacerbated in London, with girls in the capital nearly 10% less active than boys, with 58% not meeting the target. Children from lower income families are also more than 10% less active than those from higher income families.

Throughout the last month, sport for development charity Greenhouse Sports has increased its efforts to battle this decline in activity levels through its in-school sports initiatives in the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including London.

Greenhouse Sports, which operates across London, Leicester and Portsmouth, has seen a rise over the last year of girls participating in its programmes as the charity aims to get more girls active.

In March, Greenhouse used International Women’s Day to kick-start a month-long campaign called ‘On Her Team: MARCHing toward gender parity’. During this period, the charity committed to, and achieved, a record-breaking 20,000 hours of coaching and mentoring to girls, an increase on their current 17,000, across breakfast and after-school clubs.

The charity funds and places elite sports coaches into school’s full time to run free to access sessions every day in their sport, becoming embedded within the school’s staff. Greenhouse aims to not only give kids access to sport, but also to mentor and support their personal development through sport.

The increased coaching and campaign in March followed Greenhouse’s ongoing work to increase female participation, in partnership with Sweaty Betty, that included a Girls Only Sports Bra roadshow and Girls Only Holiday Camps.

In partnership with Sweaty Betty, Greenhouse created a report that sought to understand the discrepancy in gender participation rates. Focus groups were conducted in 10 schools with Greenhouse coaching in place, to understand what girls enjoy doing. Data from 2023 saw an 18.6% increase in girls participating for 60+ minutes in these sessions compared to the year before, when they study started. This contrasts the national trend where female activity levels dropped by 1% from the previous year.

Lucy Clarke, who started her new role as Greenhouse’s Female Development Lead in March, said: “Having worked as a Greenhouse coach for three years, I’m thrilled to bring my on-the-ground experience and passion to this role. I understand the importance of fostering participation.

“Sports offer life-changing benefits, and it’s crucial that girls feel empowered to take part. Our efforts in the gender parity space have already led to an increase in girls’ participation from 39% to 44% in just one year. However, there’s still some way to go – and I’m excited to lead this.”