The momentum behind increased support at every level for Women in Sport will eventually mean that conferences like the excellent #WePlay gathering organised by Swim Ireland yesterday will be less needed in the future.

But for right now this was a vitally important session focusing on how we can all collectively address the issues that presently conspire against girls aged from 12 to 18 actively participating in sport to the same extent as boys.

This was about performance at every level from just getting out and getting active, there was a taster session to try new sports organised for the end of the day, all the way through to the challenges facing young women at the top of their sport from a collection of speakers including Ruta Meilutyte who won Gold in swimming at London 2012.

The panel on balancing life and sport drew most reaction on social media with powerful individual stories from young athetes including Kellie Harrington, Bethany Carson, Clare Melia and Laura Wylie.

Having a social life, the challenge of body image and social media, the benefits of exercise during exam periods all got an airing as the different speakers honed in on specific areas of how the game can be changed for young girls.

Sport for Business works with over 220 of Ireland’s leading organisations in sport and business.  We regularly feature in depth looks at how members like Sport Ireland, Ladies Football, Liberty Insurance, Lidl, Continental Tyres and most of Ireland’s leading sporting organisations bring the relationship between sport and business to life. Here is a look at what we do…

Fair play to Swim Ireland for bringing this event together and to CEO Sarah Keane who opened up the day with powerful words on the importance of focusing on the benefits of sport and exercise for all.

It is an event we wish we could have been at.  It is a subject that will continue to need as much focus as we all can until one day we will realise that the job is done.

Until boys and girls do not see a difference between playing sport and getting moving that day will remain some way off.  We need role models like those on the bill yesterday to encourage those who will be the role models for their own communities, groups of friends and at school and who will get this done.

We need more Women in positions of leadership in sport across the board, we need more women to go into coaching, we need to provide more opportunity for women to be seen as ‘normal’ rather than the exception within sport in general.

Every day gives us a chance to do just that.

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Find out more about our next major event looking at the impact of Sport for Social Good in September 2017.

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