Search News

Results: 1-10 of 1048


Start again

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime...

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with...

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to...

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.

8 Mar 2024

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

6 Mar 2024

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of...

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.

Back to news menu

Absence of female role models is a key barrier to sports participation

Posted on in Outdoor News

Research shows that more men play more sport than women at almost every age. Yet, when asked, many women say they would like to participate more in sport and physical activity.

A report by the UK Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation found that just over one in 10 girls at age 14 currently meet the official guidelines for physical activity; half the number of boys at the same age. And the report goes on to determine that the absence of role models is seen by girls and teachers to be a key barrier to participation.

We need to harness the power of the role models or influencers to get more women more active.

The key with influencer marketing is to choose the right individual or organisation to intermediate a message, consequently adding power and weight to communication outcomes.

Bring a Ball, the recent campaign from Vitality, relies heavily on sporting celebrities who act as ambassadors for ball sports and healthy lifestyles; for example, England Cricket captain Joe Root, Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill and England Rugby's Maro Itoje. Although using sporting heroes is valuable, maybe they're missing a trick in not tracking this influencer approach to the grassroots.

Influencers don't necessarily have to be celebrities from the world of sport and social media personalities with millions of fans. Each of us is influenced by a range of people, high profile celebrities certainly play a role, but we are all interested in more than just the famous. Some of the most powerful influencers can simply be regular people in the local community: the inspirational teacher, the volunteer coach or the supportive boss for example can provide both the inspiration and the support to get going.

The brilliant, award-winning This Girl Can TV ad is back on air and will undoubtedly continue to be effective in changing women's attitudes towards activity. However, I wonder if the real opportunity is to focus on the trusted voices that can take the core concept and deliver it at a one-to-few level with the women we most need to reach.

For instance, by working with people in education, colleges and universities, maybe we can influence both the young women making the transition and the organisations in which they work to create an activity culture. Similarly, as women progress into employment, and, as our work with Public Health England shows, in-work, peer-to-peer influence can also be hugely powerful and effective in getting women active. Starting a family is a good time to influence positive behaviour change, yet research states that 75% of new mothers prioritise spending time with their families over being active.

An influencer strategy working with mums and family vloggers could show women that that it need not be a trade-off between family and sports. It is so important than these women can see that fitness can easily be incorporated into family life. Celebrity examples aren't going to cut it here, but ordinary women and families can have a powerful voice in this situation.

It is time to redefine influencer marketing. We need to look beyond the celebrity influencers and build relationships with real influencers: the individuals and organisations that not only have a strong social footprint but are most importantly can talk credibly about the subject and are well connected within communities.

While the Wimbledon fortnight will ignite a short-term interest in tennis, it is only by harnessing these trusted voices will we tackle the real issue of getting more women, more active.

 

Back to news menu

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.