A Galway initiative that encourages more people to get involved in outdoor activities has revealed that many teenage girls are dropping out of sport – because they don’t like the way it affects their appearance.
The image-conscious girls are not interested in ending up in sweaty tee-shirts and would much prefer to opt out of sporting activities altogether.
A major effort is now being made in Galway to get teenage girls back into sport and other exercise activities along with groups and individuals.
Former Garda Superintendent and GAA referee Mick Curley is the Coordinator with the Galway Sports Partnership which is funded jointly by the County Council and City Council – and he says that the drop-out amongst teenage girls from sport was a concern.
Their objective, he said, is to get more people participating in sporting activities but during the course of his presentation to Tuam Municipal Council, he revealed that teenage girls were opting out of sport very quickly.
Mr Curley said that there was a major drop out from sport of girls aged twelve and upwards because of appearance issues. He said that they feel that their involvement in competitive sports affects the way they look.
He said that many of them do not want to end up being all sweaty and that is why they give up sport. That is a situation that the Galway Sports Partnership want to reverse. He added that it will involve a lot of interaction with secondary schools in the county.
“Since this initiative was established, we have noticed a trend in which there is a major drop out of girls from sport from twelve years of age upwards. We have probed into it and have found that appearance seems to be the main reason,” Mr Curley told members of Tuam Municipal Council.
The Galway Sports Partnership give assistance to sporting groups who want to organise walking, jogging and cycling events while also encouraging older people to get involved in activities. They have a physical activity programme for men over 35 years of age.
They also have programmes for those with disabilities while they also organise the Fit Towns competition in which groups come together to organise outdoor activities.
The initiative has encouraged walking and jogging groups to come together and Mr Curley said that in the case of Portumna and Ballinasloe, who won the awards over the past couple of years, they have remained intact and are still meeting on a weekly basis.
Cllr Karey McHugh said that said that the sports partnership initiative promoted social inclusion and this was to be welcomed. “We also need for our recreational facilities like walkways to be used on a regular basis,” she said.
Cllr Shaun Cunniffe added that it was essential that outdoor activity be part of everyone’s psyche and also expressed the view that there was a need for more sports funding for schools in the county