Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support
women’s sport after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport () (Con)
My Lords, it is vital that we continue to strive for greater
equality and opportunity in sport. I am keen that we maintain the
focus on women’s sport and build on the fantastic progress of the
last few years. That is why on 29 May we wrote to the Football
Association, the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Football League,
the Lawn Tennis Association and the England and Wales Cricket
Board to ask about their plans to promote sport at the elite
level and to grow women and girls’ wider participation, and how
we can support them to do that.
(Con) [V]
I thank my noble friend for her Answer. I declare an interest as
a trustee of the Saracens Sport Foundation. We know that many
girls drop out of sport and physical activity by the age of 14.
What does my noble friend think can be done to improve the
situation?
My noble friend is right that more needs to be done to tackle the
decline of physical activity through secondary school. One way we
are approaching that is through Sport England,
which is providing free training for two teachers in every
secondary school in England to help foster positive attitudes
towards physical education and sport. We recently announced a £17
million investment so that that additional support can go to
primary schools as well across the country.
(Lab)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a director of Carlisle United.
Recent years have been very exciting for women’s sport, including
football. As the Minister knows, many of the lower Football
League clubs have given great encouragement to women’s football
locally. Now of course they find themselves in great financial
difficulty themselves. Will the Minister do her best to ensure
that none of this valuable contribution and co-operation is lost?
The noble Lord is absolutely right. As I have declared previously
in this House, I am a shareholder in Bath City Football Club—so
we are as one on the importance of grass-roots sport and
football, and the Government are clear and committed that that
part of the fabric of our community should be maintained.
(Non-Afl) [V]
My Lords, community sports centres have proved to be key in
getting women involved in sport and keeping them there. What will
the Government do to encourage them to open up as quickly as
possible?
The Government have been working very closely through the
recreation and leisure task force, as the noble Baroness may be
aware, to plan for the reopening of community sports centres.
They play a crucial role in keeping everyone active, including
younger and older women. My right honourable friend the Secretary
of State indicated that our aspiration is to open those centres
in mid-July, if it is safe to do so.
(Con) [V]
My Lords, is it not the case that one of the best ways of
improving the opportunities for women and generally diverse
communities is by changing the structure of the governing bodies
of so many sports? Could my noble friend consider recommending to
governing bodies that they adopt something similar to the Rooney
Rule to enhance their diversity?
My noble friend is absolutely right. Women now make up an average
of 40% of board members across bodies funded by Sport
England and UK Sport. Three-quarters of these sports
have already achieved the gender benchmark of 30%, as set out in
the Code for Sports Governance. My noble friend may have seen
that on 11 June the Sports Minister announced his intention to
review the code more broadly, with a view to introducing a target
for more black, Asian and minority-ethnic representation on the
boards of sports governing bodies.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, does the Minister agree that one of the biggest steps
forward has been that it is normal to see elite-level female
competitors taking part on our TV screens? Will the Government
look at why, in great football matches of the past, the women’s
competitions that were shown were not given more prominence?
This is a highly relevant topic. The noble Lord is right about
the opportunity to broadcast some of the inspiring women’s games
that have taken place. Obviously, the editorial independence of
broadcasters is key, but we are also clear that the visibility of
women’s sport is critical.
(Con)
My Lords, I declare an interest as president of Northamptonshire
County Cricket Club. Will the Minister recognise the enormous
progress that has been made in cricket, particularly women’s and
girls’ cricket, in recent years? Will she also listen
sympathetically to any proposals that come from the ECB, in light
of the financial constraints this summer, and look urgently at
getting club cricket, in particular for girls and boys, on the
pitches, because at the moment they cannot even start to play the
game?
I am sure that my noble friend also was pleased to see the
appointment of Clare Connor as the first female president of the
MCC. There is a great commitment to getting cricket started
again. The county cricket season starts at the beginning of
August; the ECB is committed to staging women’s cricket during
2020. Thanks to Sky’s coverage of the women’s game, we will see
free-to-air coverage of women’s cricket return on the BBC later
this season.
(CB)
My Lords, women’s sport depends on getting girls and young women
active, but they frequently have a negative association with
sport, especially as they go through the changes of adolescence,
because the physical exposure too often leads to body shaming.
Does the Minister agree that the pressure on female athletes,
laid bare by Mary Cain’s brave testimony, is the tip of the
iceberg in a culture in which body shaming is all too prevalent?
What are the Government doing to educate sports coaches about the
negative impact of body shaming and to drive this harmful
practice out of the sports arena?
The noble Baroness raises an important issue. I point to the
campaign This Girl Can, of which I am sure she is well aware. It
has highlighted and celebrated how normal girls and women look
and has inspired 3.9 million women and girls to get active since
it started in 2015. That has been an important part of this, but
the body shaming issues she raises are real, and I think are even
more so for women of colour, who can feel pressure to whiten
their bodies as well as reshape them.
(Lab)
[V]
My Lords, as a Lady Taverner, I too welcome the appointment of
the former captain of the England women’s cricket team as the
first woman president of the MCC. Does the Minister think that
one way forward in women’s sport is to appoint more women to
high-level posts and to increase funding to the level of men’s
games?
I think the noble Baroness knows the answer to her question. Of
course senior role models are absolutely critical, and we are
fortunate to have several in this House, including the noble
Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, and the noble Baroness, Lady
Campbell, with her leadership role in women’s football at the FA.
However, we need role models at every level in sport, not just
the most elite, and that is part of what we are working on with
all the different bodies involved.
(LD)
[V]
The Minister has acknowledged that young sportswomen need
opportunities. What financial support are this Government willing
to provide to improve these opportunities?
Particularly in relation to Covid, we have made a generous
funding package available. More broadly, we are working with the
governing bodies of all sports to make sure that resources are
committed to the women’s game and that the positive momentum we
have seen in recent years is continued.
