TeamUp, a joint initiative between the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), England Hockey and England Netball, has been announced as a finalist in the ‘National Inspiring Initiative’ category for the 2018 Women’s Sport Trust #BeAGameChanger Awards.
The National Inspiring Initiative category recognises projects that have had a significant impact on progressing women’s sport in the UK.
The three national governing bodies teamed up to launch the initiative in 2016 to maximise the legacy of three consecutive home World Cups between 2017-2019 and are supporting schools to give thousands of 7-13-year-old girls across the country the chance to play team sports. The rationale behind TeamUp is to reduce the gender gap in sport participation between boys and girls, which begins in the late years of primary school and widens into secondary school.
Women’s sport has been elevated to extraordinary heights over the past couple of years and three of most significant and game changing moments have come from England’s netball, cricket and hockey teams. Two years ago, Great Britain’s hockey team won gold at the Rio Olympic Games in a thrilling final watched by nine million people, in 2017 England’s cricket team lifted the World Cup trophy on home soil in front of a capacity crowd at Lord’s and most recently, England Netball secured a historic gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
With these sports and its athletes propelled into the nation’s psyche, the inspiring collaboration between the three national governing bodies is capitalising on this opportunity, ensuring this momentum is continued.
With an ambitious target to get thousands more girls experiencing the benefits of team sport, the initiative provides teachers with the training, tools and resources to deliver high quality team sports for girls. TeamUp includes a novel rewards scheme for schools to access money can’t buy experiences to help inspire girls, such as tickets to events, athlete appearances and even opportunities to be flag-bearers at a World Cup.
Following its launch, TeamUp was awarded over £600,000 by Wembley National Stadium Trust which is currently being invested in schools in the London area.
To date, over 1,600 schools have signed up which equates to an estimated figure of 24,000 girls in London alone benefiting from TeamUp, a number which rises to 155,000 nationwide.
Schools across the country can still sign up to be part of TeamUp and London schools are being encouraged to apply for additional support. To sign up, visit: www.teamupengland.com.
The Women’s Sport Trust #BeAGameChanger Awards celebrates athletes, teams, individuals, organisations and initiatives that have had a significant impact on driving women’s sport forwards. Categories include: Ambassador of Women’s Sport; National Governing Body of the Year; Brand / Sponsor Partnership of the Year; Inspiring Initiative – National and Local; Media Initiative of the Year; and Imagery of the Year. An award for Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Sport will also be chosen by Women’s Sport Trust and presented on the night of the awards.
Jo Bostock, Co-founder and Joint CEO of the Women’s Sport Trust commented: “Why is the Women’s Sport Trust so committed to running the #BeAGameChanger Awards? Because compelling stories about the trailblazers need to be told. They set the pace and show what’s possible. Most importantly, they stimulate other brands, sport and the media to step up and take action. Building this momentum will ensure the future of women’s sport.”
The winners are decided by a public vote which is now open: www.womenssporttrust.com/bagc2018. Voting closes at midnight on 13 May 2018.
To encourage voting, TeamUp is giving away two tickets to the awards ceremony on 24 May 2018. To win, tweet a screenshot after submitting your vote and tag @teamupengland.
