Big Sister scheme helps girls to stay in sport

A scheme aiming to provide female-only classes and mentoring is helping to stop teenage girls dropping out of sport.

The charity Women in Sport started its Big Sister project after it found 43% of girls who once considered themselves "sporty" fell out of love with sport in their teens.

Common reasons girls gave for turning away from activity and exercise included feeling judged and not feeling good enough.

Places Leisure Centre in Eastleigh, Hampshire, has one of the busiest Big Sister hubs in the country and Big Sister instructor Taliyah Brooks, 21, said the approach is about "building confidence and trust".

Poppy, 11, described the range of activities on offer, from basketball to gym work and football, as "fun".

"I make friends and I get fit," she said.

Holly, 14, added: "Boys always think they are better at everything, especially sports. This session is really good to show that girls can do the same as boys can.

"I love having all the girls here because it's a different supportive system."

Taliyah Brooks, 21, said she finds being a Big Sister instructor and ambassador "incredibly rewarding".

"There wasn't anything like this when I was growing up to help girls feel more like themselves," she said.

Brooks explained that her job is to be a "big sister" type role model by providing physical and mental coaching: "They can trust me. They can come and talk to me about periods, about school if they have any problems."

She said she finds the all girls environment makes a big difference: "When boys are around that's when the girls sometimes shut down and say 'No, I don't want to do it,' but here they can be free."

Any girls aged between nine to 15 can sign up to Big Sister at more than 80 sites around the UK.

Some girls will be eligible for free gym membership and Big Sister sessions, others will receive a discounted rate.

The Women in Sport scheme initially received government funding via a tampon tax grant and is now run in partnership with Places Leisure, which is part of the Places for People social enterprise.

Rachel Williams, Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Women in Sport, said the results are "encouraging" with 60% of girls who took part in Big Sister saying they now enjoy sport more.

"We know that it works, that it gets girls more active and has fantastic results on their happiness, their resilience, their willingness to try new things and that translates away from sport across their lives," Williams said.

Brooks said she sees girls transformed into "more confident, relaxed" people after Big Sister sessions.

"I tell them no one is looking at you in the gym, they are looking at themselves in the mirror if anything!"

Poppy said the biggest lesson she has learnt is not to worry about what other people make of you.

She had advice for other girls: "Don't think about anyone else, just think about being yourself."

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