Woman aged 50-60 playing badminton

Podcast

Welcome to The Women in Sport podcast!

The podcast brings together insight, advice and expertise from across the sector.

Each episode features a discussion on some of the key issues and barriers affecting women and girls.

If you are passionate about helping and inspiring women and girls to become involved in sport, this podcast is for you.

The podcast is available on iTunesSpotify and Audioboom.

Paralympic special with Monica Vaughan

In 1960, they were renamed as the Paralympic Games, and in 1976, para-athletes besides wheelchair users were allowed to compete for the first time.

My guest today was one of those. And she didn’t just compete – she cleaned up.

Monica Vaughan represented Great Britain in swimming at two Paralympics.
Five Gold medals in Toronto in ’76 were followed by four more plus a Silver in Arnhem in Germany in 1980.

Olympic special with Joanna Rowsell MBE

Few of us will ever know what its like to represent our country in elite sport. Fewer still will know the feeling of standing on the podium whilst the national anthem plays.

Joanna Rowsell MBE knows exactly what this is like. She has two gold medals - one from London in 2012 and the other from Rio in 2016 – both in the Team Pursuit.
Add to that, five World Championship titles, multiple World Cup Gold medals and a standing world record, also in Team Pursuit.

Olympic special with Tessa Sanderson CBE

Tessa Sanderson CBE is a British Olympic icon. She represented Great Britain at six Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in the javelin at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics setting a new Olympic record and making history as the first black British woman to win Olympic gold.

General Election Special: Tackling Heath Inequalities

27% of women do less than 30 minutes of sporting activity a week. Just 3% of women play in a sports team. 22% fewer girls than boys take part in team sport.

This episode of our podcast looks at how we help the UK step up and recognise the value and importance of sport to women and girls.

General Election Special: Stamping out misogyny

Women and girls belong in sport. But misogyny is a significant barrier. We believe that when sport includes women and girls it helps tackle health inequalities. In this podcast we’re tackling what needs to be done to eradicate misogyny from sport, and society in general.

General Election Special: Why 50/50 leadership in sport is bl**dy obvious!

In this episode, we’re tackling what needs to be done make sport fair for women and girls, in the playground, on the pitch, and in the boardroom.

What sport taught me about championing change

Minette Batters is President of the National Farmer's Union, the first women to hold the post in the organisation's 115 year history. She chats to us about the impact that sport has had on her life: giving her the ability to lead a team, communicate effectively and overcome adversity and failure.

Rugby League World Cup 2021: A Lasting Legacy

The Rugby League World Cup 2021 made history with Women's, Wheelchair and Men’s teams competing concurrently at the tournament. In this episode, we're joined by: England International Jodie Cunningham, Stacey Knight Non-Exec Director, Rugby League World Cup 2021 and Tracey Power the tournament's Social Impact Director.

#TimeTogether: Inspiring mums and daughters to be active together

When researching the lives of teenage girls Women in Sport uncovered the powerful relationship that exists between mums and daughters. In this episode we explore some of the barriers that prevent girls from being active and explore how mums/mum figures can be part of the solution. With Kate Nicholson, Head of Insight and Innovation at Women in Sport, Kirsty McNab, CEO Scottish Sport's Futures and her teenage daughter Ella.

The Dream Deficit: Why fewer girls than boys dream of being a top athlete

Two years ago we discovered half as many girls as boys dream of reaching the top of sport - a gap we coined the 'Dream Deficit.' But has the inspirational summer we've had done anything to shift the dial? Can girls now see a place at the top of sport for them? Joined by Women in Sport CEO Stephanie Hilborne and Hannah Dingley, Academy Manager at Forest Green Rovers.

The Commonwealth Games legacy: Supporting the growth of parasport

The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured the largest integrated para sport programme in the competition’s history with 42 parasport events across eight sports, with over 350 athletes taking part. Joined by former Paralympic swimmer and BBC broadcaster Kate Grey and Emma Wiggs MBE who is a double Paralympic gold medal winner and ten-time World Champion para canoeist!

How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels

Throughout history the humble bicycle has helped women gain mobility, increased social and political freedom and brought countless hours of joy. Yet, barriers still preventing many women from getting in the saddle. In this episode we speak to Hannah Ross, author of 'Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels'.

Harnessing the power of self-belief: How Victoria Evans became the fastest female to solo row the Atlantic

The incredible journey of Victoria Evans who broke the World Record for the fastest female to solo row the Atlantic Ocean, just three years after learning to row. Victoria also raised £25,000 for Women in Sport as part of her Sea Change Sport campaign, which was set up to draw attention to gender inequality in sport, in particular the barriers that prevent access to sport for women and girls.

Daughters and Dads: Empowering Change

Gender stereotypes start at birth. For girls, this can lead to a decline in self-belief from as young as 7 years old. Dads/father figures can play a key role in helping their daughters develop confidence and resilience, but many dads, often unconsciously, place more emphasis on their son's sporting activities. The Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered is a free physical activity and education programme for young girls (5-11) and their fathers/father figures who want to be more active together.

The Lost 43% - The Teenage Girls Falling out of Love with Sport

For International Women's Day 2022, Women in Sport has released new research which found that more than one million teenage girls (43%), who once considered themselves ‘sporty’, disengage from sport following primary school. Joined by Tanya Martin, Insight Manager at Women in Sport, Alison Oliver, CEO at Youth Sport Trust, Paul McPartlan CEO of Places Leisure and Shruti Saujani, Senior Manager for Cities & Volunteers at the England and Wales Cricket Board.

How Snowsports is Challenging Girls to Take More Risk – Starting at the Skatepark

The countdown is on to the Winter Olympics, which begins on 4th February, with two weeks of action-packed and exciting competition to look forward to. Joined by Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller, Chief Executive for GB Snowsport Victoria Gosling OBE, and skateboarders Lyndsey McLaren and Amy Ram.

Past podcast episodes

Our podcast has been going since 2019, so there are lots of interesting episodes to listen your way through. Have a browse of some of our past episodes here:

Have you heard this episode?

The lost 43% – The teenage girls falling out of love with sport