England Netball are delighted to announce that we have joined forces with global feminine care brand, Always as part of their fantastic #LikeAGirl Campaign.
Always #LikeAGirl, which first launched in July 2014, strives to stop the drop in confidence that girls experience at puberty. Their latest iteration of this campaign, Keep Playing #LikeAGirl, launched in June ’16, focuses on keeping girls playing sports.
Sports are a high contributor to confidence in girls and provides valuable skills to help them stay confident in any and everything later in life. And yet, over 64% of girls still quit sports at puberty.
Always wants to change that and England Netball wants to join in the mission to keep girls in sports!
We at England Netball have long been believers in the impact that playing sport regularly can have on your social well-being, and with over a million women and girls playing each week, netball provides an excellent platform to spread the positive message of the Always #LikeAGirl campaign.
Partnering with Back to Netball, Always are offering a FREE Back to Netball session with the purchase of selected Always sanitary towels products purchased at TESCO.
You will find your voucher code on stickered products: all you need to claim your voucher is to type that code on the Always website. It’s that simple!
Join Always, and keep playing #LikeAGirl
For more information – visit www.always-activities.co.uk
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Over Half of Girls (64%) Quit Sport By the End of Puberty*
New Always® #LikeAGirl Video Examines The Causes Behind This Trend And Together with Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Trott, Encourages Girls Everywhere to Keep Playing #LikeAGirl
Latest Always Survey Reveals:
- 80% of girls feel they do not belong in sport
- 60% of girls believe that society does not represent or value females equally or fairly in sport
UNITED KINGDOM – June 28, 2016 – How many times have we heard comments like “girls shouldn’t play that sport” or seen girls’ teams playing in half-filled arenas? What impact does this have on girls and their desire to play sport throughout puberty? These are critical questions that Always, leader in global feminine care and the brand committed to championing girls’ confidence, is asking – an activity recognised for its profound and long-term impact in helping girls build and maintain confidence. As the world prepares for the 2016 Olympic Games, Always wants to urge, encourage and inspire girls everywhere to Keep Playing #LikeAGirl.
Data from the most recent Always Confidence & Puberty Survey*, shows that by the end of puberty, over half of girls surveyed (64%) will have quit playing sport. To help shed light on this issue, Always partnered with Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein to find out how girls feel about playing sport. The new #LikeAGirl video, asked girls about their athletic experiences, the challenges and the benefits, what helped them stay in the game, or what led them to quit. Hear their stories and be motivated by their passionate rallying call for all girls to keep playing by watching the Always Keep Playing #LikeAGirl video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emawq64b0DU
British cycling star and Olympic gold medallist Laura Trott is partnering with Always #LikeAGirl to share her own story and encourage girls to keep playing sport. “For me, it’s about being a role model and trying to inspire girls not to give up. We all go through it, but puberty can be such challenging time for girls, you suddenly feel really self-conscious about lots of things and start thinking you can’t or shouldn’t do certain activities. I remember kids making fun of me for cycling and wearing a helmet and that would really knock my confidence. But playing sport taught me that by believing in myself, and never quitting, you can achieve great things,” said Laura.
“That’s why I am proud to be supporting the Always #LikeAGirl mission to help stop the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty. Sport really is one of the strongest confidence building activities and as a female athlete competing in the Olympic Games I want to encourage and inspire girls everywhere to keep playing #LikeAGirl and never quit.”
Many studies have found that ongoing participation in sport significantly contributes to confidence in girls, at any level, and provides valuable skills to help them stay confident to do any and every thing later in life. In fact, a recent 2015 study of consumers in the UK showed that women aged 18 to 24 are twice as likely to be confident if they play sport regularly, compared to those who do not play at all[i]. Additionally, the recent Always survey found that girls reported that three of the top benefits of staying involved in sport are increased confidence, teamwork, and staying in shape. However, despite the known benefits, girls still report that they don’t feel like they belong in sport. Further, 67% of girls feel that society does not encourage them to play sport.
“As someone who grew up playing sport, and also as the mother of a seven-year-old daughter, I know how important participation in sport can be in helping girls build the confidence and skills that will serve them throughout life. It’s my hope that this video will spark a conversation and inspire girls to keep playing sport,” said Burstein.
“I love and support the #LikeAGirl campaign and I’m thrilled to be partnering with Always ahead of the Olympic Games to shed light on this important issue,” she continues.
“The Olympic Games is a time when – all around the world- female sports participation is elevated in the public eye, and for that reason, we could not think of a better moment to drive awareness of the critical role sport play in building girls’ confidence,” states Michele Baeten, Associate Brand Director and Always #LikeAGirl leader at Procter & Gamble. “We will rally and unite Olympic athletes, the International and National Olympic Committees and other organisations, to spark a change and inspire a world in which every girl truly feels that she can play sport and will Keep Playing #LikeAGirl!”
Always is inviting everybody to join in to rewrite the rules and keep girls in sport. Pledge that you’ll Keep Playing #LikeAGirl and encourage others to do the same. Upload a picture, shoot a video or tweet using #LikeAGirl to show your support and inspire young girls everywhere to Keep Playing.
Key ‘Always Puberty & Confidence Wave IV’ Study Findings
- By the time girls reach the age when they finished puberty (16-17 years old), 64% will have quit sports
- 8 out of 10 girls who quit sport during puberty felt they did not belong in sport
- Only 1/3 of girls feel that society encourages girls to play sport
- The top challenges for girls continuing to play sport are that most people believe girls become more self-conscious about/dislike their body (50%), most believe girls are worse at sport than boys (34%) and the lack of respect for girls in sport (32%)
- 61% wish there were more female role models in sport
- If there were more female role models in sport then girls aged 16-24 believe that more girls would continue playing sport (47%), there would be more interest in female sport (46%) and female sport would be more popular (42%)
For more information and survey results please contact Hill + Knowlton Strategies:
Becky East becky.east@hkstrategies.com 0207 413 3093
Ellie Gill ellie.gill@hkstrategies.com 0207 413 3143
