Independent schools are widening the opportunity net for girls? sports, often breaking down barriers to traditionally ?boys-only? games and disciplines
Words by Katie Hughes
According to the Women?s Sport Trust, a record-breaking 22.6-million people tuned in to watch women?s sport between January and May 2024 ? and this year?s Women?s Six Nations was the most viewed on record.
Female athletes in this year?s Olympic Games didn?t just make history by (almost) matching their male counterparts in number, they also wrestled, boxed and kicked their way to medals in what some would see as traditionally male events.
Thankfully, the Olympics are no longer an ?exaltation of male athleticism?, as the founder of the ?modern games? wanted them to be. Nor is it accepted that running, jumping and climbing might damage women?s reproductive organs or make them unattractive to men (a bygone theory highlighted by historian Kathleen McCrone). As England gears up to host the 2025 Women?s Rugby World Cup, interest and participation in girls? sport, especially activities once considered the preserve of boys, is set to ramp up another notch. And independent schools are well ahead of the curve.
Why sports is important

The Youth Sport Trust cites improved self-perception and confidence among the many mental health benefits of sport. And it says that playing sport at school can promote life skills like teamwork, resilience and self-discipline. Not so positive, however, is that recent research from t...