Why do teenage girls drop out of sport? That is the question which will be posed and discussed at a virtual event tomorrow evening, Thursday, at 7pm.
The event, the third in a series brought by Electric Ireland’s Game Changers NI campaign, will see a panel of experts discuss the huge drop-out of girls in sports by the age of 13.
“It has been proven time and again that many young girls stop playing sport and engaging in physical activity, developing negative attitudes towards sport, which can act as a barrier for them in later life,” said Anne Smyth, Sponsorship Specialist with Electric Ireland and host of the event.
“Our aim at this event is to engage with teenage girls and to emphasise the importance of sport and how it will benefit them in their future endeavours in life. In this challenging environment, we now more than ever need to bring awareness to women’s sport – and what better way to start then sustaining interest with young women.”
Joining Anne will be Dr Malie Coyne, a child psychologist and author of Love In, Love Out – A compassionate approach to parenting your anxious child and Danielle McDowell, former Northern Ireland international and Women’s Development Officer at the Irish FA.
Irish Rugby player and coaching mentor Eliza Downey will also be joining the panel along with businesswoman Anne Costello who provides wellness-based Stress Reduction programmes and courses for the business community.
The event will engage and educate teenage girls, their parents and coaches on the importance of sports for their mental and physical development. The panellists will discuss the important issues surrounding young girls’ demise in sports and will provide advice on how to overcome challenges that are presented to them.
One of the core concerns to be raised is how to maintain the interest in sports for teenage girls in a pandemic environment, due to a lack of training and matches.
Insights and advice will be provided by the panellists and opportunities to ask questions will be available.
To join the conversation, visit: http://www.gamechangersni.com/ at 7pm tomorrow.
