RESOURCES TO SUPPORT GIRLS AND WOMEN IN CHEERLEADING
This International Women’s Day SportCheer England are sharing some resources for cheerleading coaches, to help them think more about how to support the girls and young women they coach.
Figures released this time last year by Women In Sport as part of their research work ‘Reframing Sport for Teenage Girls’*, funded by Sport England found 43% of teenage girls who once actively engaged with and enjoyed sport were disengaging in their teenage years.
The exciting news is that Cheerleading is retaining girls and young women in sport, at the
age they are traditionally dropping out of physical activity.
There are currently an estimated 89000 cheer athletes competing on All Star teams across the UK, as well as many more participating recreationally in after-school clubs. SportCheer England’s last survey** observed a whopping 98% of these athletes currently participating in the various cheer disciplines are female, with the highest percentage being teenagers.
Knowing that we have a huge number of girls and young women participating in our sport means it is critical cheerleading coaches understand the female body and how to train it safely and effectively.
RESOURCES
Women In Sport for resources and links: www.womeninsport.org
The Well HQ for courses and resources: www.thewell-hq.com
FREE Open University course on Supporting Female performance in Sport and Fitness: http://www.open.edu/.../suppo.../content-section-overview...
UK Coaching resources and tools for coaching female athletes: http://www.ukcoaching.org/.../coaching-female-athletes-to...
Book: “The Female Body Bible: A Revolution in Women’s Health and Fitness” by Dr Emma Ross, Baz Moffat, Dr Bella Smith - available at all good bookshops
** SportCheer England National Survey of Cheerleading in England 2019