UsGirls Multi-Sport Workshop: Empowering Young Women Through Sports Diversity

1. Active Women Consortium Training Conference 2011 MULTI SPORT WORKSHOP Caron Walpole Research and Evaluation,StreetGames

2. AIM OF THE WORKSHOP • To give an overview of the multi sport work being planned and delivered in the UsGirls projects • To identify what works well • To identify some of the challenges • To share learning between ourselves

3. TRADITIONAL VIEW OF MULTI SPORT WORK • Typically for 8-14 year olds, mixed sessions • Turn up and play • Offering a wide range of sports, either several choices at the same time or one sport after another • Format often used for holiday sports schemes • Not generally linked to exit routes

4. MULTI SPORT WORK IN UsGIRLS PROJECTS • Nine projects interviewed by phone • Different stages of planning and delivery • Common trends and challenges identified

5. THE AIM OF MULTI SPORT WORK IN UsGIRLS PROJECTS ‘To give young women an experience of different sports that they might not have played before or for a long time.’ ‘sometimes you don’t know what you like’.

6. HOW TO CHOOSE THE SPORTS • A range of different approaches:- • Young women don’t always know what they like as they have never played it or they played it a long time ago. • Use one-off multi sport events to let young women try different sports and then ask them what they would like to do. • We will decide which sports to offer at the beginning but will then give the young women their own voice as they get more involved/ experienced. • Run sports where projects have had a good experience of a sport in the past, good links e.g. coaches, feeder clubs. • One project consulted over 250 young women in the last few weeks – young mums at primary schools and local colleges and is now starting to run sessions they want.

7. RANGE OF SPORTS AT MULTI SPORT EVENTS/ SESSIONS • Zumba/ Salsa • Aerobics/ Keep fit • Gym • Boxercise/ Kickboxing • Badminton • Basketball • Volleyball • Dodgeball • Rounders • Nordic walking/ jogging • Netball • Martial arts • Football • Trampolining

8. MOST POPULAR SPORTS AND WHY • Zumba – ‘everyone’s asking for it’, like the dance aspect, can tailor to all levels of ability and fitness • Dodgeball – fun, fast moving, easy to play, involves all • Badminton – easy to play for fun, popular with young Asian women, good links with BE and local clubs • Basketball – some love it – playing together as a team, learning skills, BUT/ in some projects they do not like it! • BUT/ Football – some young women want to play but not enough to run a session/ play a game. • BUT/ Netball – seems to be popular with ‘older’ young women

9. SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF MULTI SPORT WORK IN UsGIRLS PROJECTS • One off multi sport events specifically for UsGirls • Taking part in other partners’ events/ festivals etc. • Multi sport session – one sport after the other • Multi sport session – choice of sports at any one time • Multi sport courses with one sport for a block of 4/6 weeks • Multi sport taster courses with a different set sport each week

10. UsGIRLS ‘ONE OFF’ MULTI SPORT EVENT • Typical characteristics: ½ day or 1 day, once a year, have a go at lots of different sports, paid and voluntary coaches, information, consultation and ‘sign up’.

11. TAKING PART AT OTHER PARTNERS’ EVENTS/ FESTIVALS Typical characteristics: ½ or one day events, organised by others, often non-sporty focus, offer range of sports activities to try, informationand consultation leaflets.

12. MULTI SPORT SESSION (ONE SPORT AFTER ANOTHER) Typical characteristics: 1 or 2 hour session once a week, uses same hall, offers a range of different sports each week, probably 15-20 mins per sport.

13. MULTI SPORT SESSION (MORE THAN ONE SPORT AT A TIME) Typical characteristics: 1 or 2 hour session once a week, offers a range of different sports at the same time, often uses a large space or several spaces, uses different coaches for the different sports.

14. MULTI SPORT TASTER COURSE (BLOCK OF 1 SPORT, THEN ANOTHER) Typical characteristics: 1 or 2 hour session once a week, offers one sport for a set no. of weeks, then another sport for a set no. of weeks, often uses specialist instructors/ coaches.

15. MULTI SPORT TASTER COURSE (A DIFFERENT SET SPORT EACH WEEK) Typical characteristics: 1 or 2 hour session once a week, offers one set sport each week, then another sport, often uses different specialist instructors/ coaches.

16. WHO COMES TO THE SESSIONS? • They do attract ‘non-sporty’ young women living in their target areas. • Varying levels of fitness – some very unfit and others okay! • The projects working with existing groups attract the 16-24 yr old age group. • ‘Open’ projects tend to attract ‘open’ age groups – some 16-24 yr olds and older women. Seen as positive – coming with a friend/ mum, older woman might tell younger woman about the session, don’t want to turn anyone away. ‘At least 1/3 haven’t done any sport in the last year, quite a few are overweight…instructors tailor it to include everyone.’

17. WHICH MODEL WORKS BEST? • Depends on your project and local circumstances • Some models have more issues to consider than others • Not enough delivery yet… • The key to success will be how well a multi sport project supports young women to take part in sport at an exit route

18. SUCCESS AT RETAINING YOUNG WOMEN Only 1 project has been delivering multi sport sessions for several months and they have retained the majority of their young women:- • ‘Trelya’ based in Penzance, working with very socially excluded ‘non-sporty’ young women • Running multi sport sessions (one sport after the other) at their own venue twice per week • Integrated multi sport sessions into their other work with these young women e.g. making DVDs, cooking, nails in order to take away the emphasis on ‘playing sport’ and make it informal and fun. • Runs sessions in the evenings and weekends so it will be part of their lifestyle when they get jobs. • Sessions run by their own staff – already have rapport/ trust with young women. • Young women entered into Race4Life – Extra spin-offs - used multi sport sessions to ‘help them get fit’, great motivator, became fitter and better at playing the different sports, getting used to being with other ‘unknown’ young women, more confidence, first step to joining a club. • Exit routes will be local clubs/ leisure centres. Staff will go with young women when they are ready to exit route clubs for several weeks, will provide kit/ equipment, pay membership etc. Will take to leisure centre, get them used to paying at reception, changing rooms and playing sport in a public facility. • Will do another running event with a local running/ athletics club as part of the transition to joining an informal/ friendly regular training session organised by the running club.

19. SUCCESS AT RETAINING YOUNG WOMEN 1 project has been delivering multi sport sessions for several weeks and has made a good start:- • Hounslow, London - multi sport session run at a local school on Friday evenings (women only) • Run by project co-ordinator, meets and greets, explains how it works, encourages them to try new activities, cost= £2 for the session. Volunteers being recruited to assist. • Timing of session – to cater for women on way home from work or for those who have to wait for someone to come home and look after children. Can come at any time during the session. • Badminton throughout the session incl. bespoke coaching for 1 hour • Zumba, 5:15-6:10 Kick boxing, Keep fit 5.30 – 6.20 and then repeated again at 6.25 -7.15 • Often come with friend/ family, do one activity together • They HAVE been trying new sports. (AND want to try more e.g. football) • Badminton very popular, exit route with local club, supported by Badminton England • Zumba very popular with younger ones, often attracts them to the session • Kickboxing – same instructor runs open kickboxing club at the school, perfect exit route. • BUT/ expensive to run – school facilities and instructors, focus on making it sustainable.

20. THE CHALLENGE FOR MULTI SPORT WORK:TRANSITION TO EXIT ROUTES • Proposed exit routes include sessions at leisure centres, local sports clubs, sport specific courses • Range of methods to help young women to go to exit route:- • Project workers to go with them several times, pay for membership, kit etc • Take them to the exit route once to familiarise them with it • Use the same instructor for the session as the exit route e.g. zumba teacher for session and at leisure centre • Signposting - tell them about the exit route and encourage them to go • Provide a list of local sessions/ clubs • A few projects are starting to track young women at events/ multi sport sessions and whether they attend local exit routes – matching their own registers to the ‘exit route’ registers.

21. THE FUTURE There are lots of advantages to doing multi sport work but a lot of issues to consider when setting it up! All the projects agreed that they would continue to do multi sport work, they felt it was an important approach and some were planning to increase their multi sport work in the future. ‘Multi sport is absolutely right with our target group, perfect for reluctant young women coming from families without a sporting background.’