Teamup Looks To Transform Women’s Sport

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), England Hockey and England Netball have launched TeamUp, a three-year campaign to maximise the legacy of three home World Cups and build a fan base for women’s team sports.

TeamUp will target sport for girls in primary and secondary schools, with a goal to ensure 150,000 seven to 13-year-old girls have more access to team sport. The campaign has a target of over 5,000 participating schools each year; all increasing their offer of team sports for girls with at least 60% providing all three sports – cricket, hockey and netball.

The initiative – launched with the help of England stars Heather Knight (cricket), Kate Richardson-Walsh (hockey) and Joanne Harten (netball) – will have an effect on the delivery of school sport as it is anticipated that half of the 6,000 teachers involved in the scheme will also access free training offered in partnership through the Youth Sport Trust.

Along with free training, once registered as a ‘TeamUp School’, teachers will have access to a variety of support resources. The more girls’ team sport activity they deliver the more reward points they’ll receive, which can be used for incentives such as free tickets to events, along with ‘golden ticket’ opportunities such as being ball girls for a World Cup Final.

Minister for sport, Tracey Crouch said: “Our elite women’s cricket, hockey and netball teams have enjoyed great success in recent years, not least through the unforgettable hockey gold medal in Rio. Hosting three consecutive women’s world cups is a perfect opportunity to build on this momentum and get more girls playing and enjoying team sports. The TeamUp campaign will maximise the legacy of these events and help inspire the next generation of women sports stars.”

Cricket is the first of the three World Cups to be played in England in the summer of 2017 and Clare Connor, director, England women’s cricket at ECB said: “More women and girls are getting active and getting involved with team sport than ever before and over the next three years we have a uniquely wonderful opportunity to develop this growth further.  The three consecutive World Cups, starting with the ICC Women’s World Cup next summer, present a perfect platform to inspire the next generation of cricketers, hockey players and netballers. It is our responsibility to convert this opportunity in to something truly memorable.”

Sally Munday, CEO of England Hockey commented: “Team sports provide unique benefits for girls in addition to health and fitness. Research shows the huge impact of team sport on the development of communication skills, leadership and teamwork.”

Jo Adams, CEO of England Netball, added: “This is a critical moment in time for women’s sport in our country. Our three sports have the chance to capitalise on hosting major events to truly inspire a generation and create a meaningful legacy for female sport. Team sport not only helps to get women and girls fit and active, but is it also proven to have an incredible impact on mental wellbeing and provides essential social skills. We look forward to welcoming the world to our shores and ensuring all seven to 13-year-old girls have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of team sport in school.”

Sally Hancock managing partner, Y Sport, and chair, Women in Sport spoke to sportindustry.biz about the progress that has been made in women’s sport and what still needs to change.