Girls want a better, safer sport system

Canadian survey finds participation rates are too low

Participation rates among girls in Canadian sports have returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent study, despite fears that one in four would not return. That’s the good news. The bad news is, those numbers were bleak to begin with — specifically in the teenage years, when participation drops off, and among girls with intersecting identities such as Black, LGBTQ, Indigenous and those from low-income homes.

“The fact that participation rates have effectively returned to the pre-pandemic levels is really a positive story,” said Allison SandmeyerGraves, CEO of Canadian Women and Sports, “and we don’t always have lots to celebrate when looking at the big national data on women in sport. I think this has to be seen as a victory … It also just shows that girls and their parents value sport, and girls want to play.

“Of course, we’re not satisfied with the status quo.”

What has changed, based on the Rally Report’s national survey of 4,500 Canadian girls and women and more than 350 sports leaders, is that Canadian girls want a better sports system than the pre-pandemic one.

“It was so interesting to hear parents say that quality is a barrier,” said Sandmeyer-Graves. “Almost half of them said that. And 75 per cent of girls want sport leaders to have more training in sport. They’re like, ‘Please, please, we need more from you to meet our needs and interests.’ ”

The study indicated that after losing access to sport during the pandemic’s public health restrictions, girls and their parents are more aware of the benefits, with more than 90 per cent of Canadian girls surveyed saying they believe sports help their physical and mental health.

But participation rates continue to fall. Half of Canadian girls 13 to 18 in Canada are not participating.

The current system is flawed, Sandmeyer-Graves said.

One in three Canadian girls report that coaches and organizations aren’t addressing important safety issues. Almost half of parents (46 per cent) identify low-quality programming as a barrier for daughters age six to 12. And less than half of coaches receive training on topics related to keeping girls in sports — including gender equity, body image, and mental health.

Racialized girls report facing every barrier about 10 per cent more than their white peers; girls 13 to 18 from low-income homes report barriers such as access and cost about 10 to 15 per cent more than girls from high-income homes; and girls who identified as LGBTQ reported body dissatisfaction as a barrier 10 per cent more than girls not identifying as LGBTQ.

The third edition of the Rally Report was done by Leger Marketing on behalf of Canadian Women and Sport and in partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.