Investing in the Development of Young Female Sport Leaders: An Evaluation of the ‘Girls on the Move’ Leadership Programme

Abstract

This article explores the impact of the ‘Girls on the Move’ Leadership Programme in Scotland which was designed to develop young female sports leaders and to increase opportunities for girls to engage in sport and physical activity. The Programme was underpinned by several principles of youth leadership: (i) everyone can be a leader; (ii) young people can be leaders now; and (iii) youth leadership is concerned with matters of social justice. The evaluation used a multi-method approach (surveys, interviews, group discussions and observation) including a pre-course survey (n=289) and a 6-month follow-up survey (n=119) of leaders to assess change over time. Data obtained from the surveys show that the programme: attracted young women that might otherwise not have considered themselves as leaders; increased the number of young women taking on leadership roles; and increased sport and physical activity opportunities that were attractive to girls. The study showed that the economic contribution of the time the young women spent leading sport and physical activities over a six-month period was equivalent to the level of subsidy provided to put them through the leadership programme. The findings demonstrate that investing in the development of young female leaders can have a positive impact on individuals, community groups and can help address issues of social justice. Further investment in youth leadership in community sport may be an effective way of growing community sport and physical activity for girls, thus addressing issues of inequality.