Gender play gap as girls lag at staying in sport

It’s been called ‘‘the gender play gap’’: girls’ participation in sport drops off in their mid to late teens, coinciding with part-time jobs, a burgeoning social life and sport becoming more serious than social.

But Girls Sport Victoria, a coalition of 23 private girls’ schools, has set itself the challenge of not only stopping the gender play gap but extending female participation beyond the school gates.

The most recent data from the Sport Participation in Victoria Survey, released last month, found 21.8 per cent of girls aged 15-19 participated in community sport, compared with 41.4 per cent of boys.

The gender discrepancy was evident among five to nine-year olds as well, with just 47.5 per cent of girls playing sport compared with 68.6 per cent of boys.

And while almost half (47.5 per cent) of girls aged five to nine participated in community sport in 2023, just 21.8 per cent of 15-19-year-old girls remained involved in sport.

‘‘That’s always where we have seen a big drop-off in sport,’’ said Federation University professor of sport science Professor Rochelle Eime.

‘‘A lot of girls don’t necessarily like the competitive nature of sport, and sport can get very serious around 15 to 19, but the majority of girls at that age just want to play with their friendship groups.’’

Genazzano FCJ College principal Loretta Wholley, who became president of Girls Sport Victoria this week, will focus her efforts on keeping those aged 15 to 18 involved in sport, as well as creating pathways for students into sports at an elite level by working with organisations such as the Australian Women’s Golf Network.

‘‘There are women’s sporting associations out there already, so we are looking at what we might be able to do together,’’ Wholley said.

‘‘Anything that encourages girls to keep doing sport past school because, ultimately, we want them to have that opportunity.’’

The Kew Catholic girls’ school won the Girls Sport Victoria senior four-kilometre division 1 cross-country event for the first time on Friday.

‘‘The greatest challenge of winning senior [level competitions] is keeping girls engaged in sport through their teenage years,’’ Wholley said.

She said Girls Sport Victoria would look at adding new sports to its interschool competitions, including football and pickleball, to widen the appeal beyond the traditional sports such as swimming, track and field and cross-country.

The organisation recently extended its interschool competition to include years 5 and 6 students, believing a solid foundation established early would build confidence long-term and keep students engaged for longer.

‘‘If a young girl hasn’t had the opportunity to participate in a sport at a younger age, they might feel less likely to participate in sport as they get older because they might think that they can’t do it,” Wholley said.

Within the past 12 months, the organisation has updated its diversity and inclusion policy to outline the rights of trans and gender diverse students participating in Girls Sport Victoria sports and competitions.

Among the 23 member schools are Melbourne Ladies’ College, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Ruyton Girls’ School, Firbank Grammar and St Catherine’s School.

Genazzano Year 12 student Hannah Rusmir, 17, has been running since she was in Year 3 and was a member of the school’s winning senior four-kilometre division 1 team.

She said running was a sport she had stuck with over basketball and netball because it was both competitive and social.

“You can go for a run with your friends even if it’s not a training session,” she said.

“And running is mentally challenging and rewarding.”

Eime said schools played an important part in sport participation. It’s not parents forking our for equipment, uniforms or making the time commitment. Schools let students sample alot of things and maybe find something that suits them.”

By Bridie Smith- The Sunday Age, (Sunday June 1 2025)