Impact & Learning

Key statistics

• 2,800+ women and girls participated in sports and physical activities.
• Over 55% (1,554 participants) stayed active regularly for months.
• Average life satisfaction rose from 6.9 (lower than national average) to 8.0 (slightly higher than national average) by the end of the project.
• 14 projects were funded, 8 of which combined exercise with lessons about health, wellbeing, and life skills.
• Projects that worked with small groups, especially with vulnerable participants, saw the biggest boosts in wellbeing.

Key learnings

• Trust takes time: Building strong relationships with participants helped projects succeed, especially when working with those needing extra support.
• It’s not all about winning: Most girls preferred activities that focused on teamwork and fun over competition. Cycling, dance classes, and group fitness were especially popular.
• One size doesn’t fit all: Tailored activities worked best. Projects thrived when they listened to what participants wanted and adapted activities to fit their needs.
• Small steps make big changes: Encouraging girls to start slow and build confidence led to better results over time.
• Teamwork matters: Partnering with non-sports organisations, like schools or youth centres, made it easier to connect with participants and offer well-rounded support.
• Wellbeing matters too: Projects that mixed physical activity with health and wellbeing education had greater overall success.

The 14 projects supported were:

• Pedal Pathways (Bike for Good – Glasgow Bike Shed Limited – £24,608): providing accessible pathways into cycling for women and girls in Glasgow.
• Platform (Fife Council, £22,890): engaging inactive young women and girls through fun, interactive cycling related activities and workshops to develop self-esteem and confidence.
• Active Girls North Ayrshire (North Ayrshire Leisure Ltd – £27,215): a multi-sport project aimed at engaging girls and young woman in physical activity to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
• Sirens for Success (Netball Scotland – £ 39,979): a netball programme to engage inactive and disengaged secondary school girls to educate, empower and engage other young girls identified as at risk.
• Like a Lassie (PEEK – £25,000): a project to increase and support young women and girls to take part in tennis in 3 communities in Glasgow – Dalmarnock, Sighthill and Haghill.
• Twilight Girls (Scottish Sports Futures – £24,686): engaging inactive BAME young women to pilot a Friday night basketball programme in Glasgow.
• Partnership Wheelchair Basketball (Scottish Women Warriors Wheelchair Basketball Club – £23,939): increasing participation in wheelchair basketball through improving sustainability, recruiting new participants and maximising publicity connections.
• Momentum (Scottish Youth Dance – £24,980): setting up six dance groups in two deprived areas to increase activity and improve health and wellbeing for inactive young women and girls.
• Dunbartonshire Dance-Fit (Street League – £25,000): a sports and employment skills training academy with dance to increase the health, fitness and future prospects of unemployed young women in Dunbartonshire.
• Inspire, Encourage, Enable (The Adventure Syndicate – £20,100): inspiring girls in a Scottish Bikepacking adventure programme, coaching and planning adventures through workshops, adventures and skills sessions.
• Fighting Chance (The Fighting Chance Project – £24,850): martial arts activity for young women and girls in a fun, schools intervention programme with opportunity to gain a qualification.
• Girls Get Fit Get Fed (The Ripple Project – £ 14,954): providing access to multi-sport activities and wellbeing support to young girls who wish to become more physically active.
• Next Steps (Venture Trust – £25,000): outdoor sports programme to engage women with a history or risk of (re-)offending.
• Active Girls (Girvan Youth Trust (Z1 Girls Group) – £22,337): a dance programme of fun workshops for inactive young girls aged 12-18.