30 January 2008
Following Ed Balls' Comments, Survey Results Show Link Between Teenage Girls' Self Esteem And Sport
Following comments from Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, who was voicing concerns over the "real issue with girls in secondary schools" not wanting to take part in sport, a survey from 'Minute Maid' Schools Cup last year reveals those football-playing teenage girls are likely to have a better body image, be healthier and more confident than their less active friends.
One in twenty (17 per cent) of those who have never taken part in a football game think a size 8 or smaller is a healthy body shape and worryingly it's size zero super waif Keira Knightley's body that they most admire. Yet, footie players put curvy WAG Colleen McLoughlin and yummy mummy Davina McCall as the celebrities with the most enviable bods.
In fact nearly three quarters (70 per cent) of footie-loving girls rate their confidence as high or average, with 84 per cent of all girls stating playing sports means teenagers have a healthier attitude to life as well as a healthier body image.
The survey of 1,250 UK teenage girls and women by the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup in May 2007 revealed that two thirds of people (66 per cent) even think girls who play football in their youth make higher achievers later on in life and more than 60 per cent of people think playing team sports can help women progress further in their career.
Fiona Hunter, independent nutritionist comments: "With such a lot of pressure on teenage girls to pursue unrealistic diets, I wholeheartedly support any initiative that helps them become more confident about their body image. The research clearly shows that playing team sports such as football is positive for young girls self esteem and confidence and has a direct relation to how they view their body image."
And it's good to see that football playing girls are on the up. 72 per cent of girls aged 19-21 have played team football before, plus more than three quarters (77 per cent) of girls state they would choose to play football over netball if they had the choice. This corresponds with The FA that states that football has become the top sport for girls and women in the country, with 1.5 million girls under the age of 15 playing some form of football over the past 12 months.*
Jane Ludlow, captain of Arsenal's victorious ladies team (who has secured a historic quadruple winning The FA Cup, UEFA Cup, PremierLeague and Premier League Cup) and captain of the Welsh National team, comments: "It is great to see such a rise in interest in women's football over the past few years. We have a great youth development team and I have also noticed the pressure that these girls are often under to conform to skinny celebrities. We work hard to improve their confidence and self esteem levels as not only does this have an impact on how they perform on the pitch, but also improves their happiness in all aspects of their lives."
The survey also reveals:
Run in partnership with the English Schools' Football Association for a fifth consecutive season, the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup is the largest schools' football tournament in Europe. Officially endorsed, over half the secondary schools in England take part in separate competitions for boys and girls at under-13 level. For further information about the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup, please visit: www.minutemaidschoolscup.co.uk.
Notes to Editors:
'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup (MMSC)
* Statistics from The FA website: http://www.thefa.com/Womens/GettingInvolved/
One in twenty (17 per cent) of those who have never taken part in a football game think a size 8 or smaller is a healthy body shape and worryingly it's size zero super waif Keira Knightley's body that they most admire. Yet, footie players put curvy WAG Colleen McLoughlin and yummy mummy Davina McCall as the celebrities with the most enviable bods.
In fact nearly three quarters (70 per cent) of footie-loving girls rate their confidence as high or average, with 84 per cent of all girls stating playing sports means teenagers have a healthier attitude to life as well as a healthier body image.
The survey of 1,250 UK teenage girls and women by the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup in May 2007 revealed that two thirds of people (66 per cent) even think girls who play football in their youth make higher achievers later on in life and more than 60 per cent of people think playing team sports can help women progress further in their career.
Fiona Hunter, independent nutritionist comments: "With such a lot of pressure on teenage girls to pursue unrealistic diets, I wholeheartedly support any initiative that helps them become more confident about their body image. The research clearly shows that playing team sports such as football is positive for young girls self esteem and confidence and has a direct relation to how they view their body image."
And it's good to see that football playing girls are on the up. 72 per cent of girls aged 19-21 have played team football before, plus more than three quarters (77 per cent) of girls state they would choose to play football over netball if they had the choice. This corresponds with The FA that states that football has become the top sport for girls and women in the country, with 1.5 million girls under the age of 15 playing some form of football over the past 12 months.*
Jane Ludlow, captain of Arsenal's victorious ladies team (who has secured a historic quadruple winning The FA Cup, UEFA Cup, PremierLeague and Premier League Cup) and captain of the Welsh National team, comments: "It is great to see such a rise in interest in women's football over the past few years. We have a great youth development team and I have also noticed the pressure that these girls are often under to conform to skinny celebrities. We work hard to improve their confidence and self esteem levels as not only does this have an impact on how they perform on the pitch, but also improves their happiness in all aspects of their lives."
The survey also reveals:
- Nearly half of those (47 per cent) who have played football think that size 10-12 is their idea of a healthy woman's figure
- 88 per cent think football is a good choice of sport to help teenagers improve vital team skills, confidence and fitness levels
- Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of footie fans found improved confidence levels which helped them to have fun and meet new people
Run in partnership with the English Schools' Football Association for a fifth consecutive season, the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup is the largest schools' football tournament in Europe. Officially endorsed, over half the secondary schools in England take part in separate competitions for boys and girls at under-13 level. For further information about the 'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup, please visit: www.minutemaidschoolscup.co.uk.
Notes to Editors:
'Minute Maid' Schools' Cup (MMSC)
- The MMSC is the largest schools' football tournament (separate for boys and girls) in Europe
- Over 40,000 players take part from over 2,600 school teams
- Schools enter from 45 counties
- Described by England international Stewart Downing as "an FA Cup for kids"
- The 'Minute Maid' Schools Cup is closely aligned to the Government's strategy to encourage learning through PE & Sport and is supported and endorsed by the Department for Education & Skills and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.
- The first stage of the tournament (Sept-Jan) involves 45 separate 'Minute Maid' County Cup tournaments. County Cup winners (and selected runners up) then participate in four x 16 team Regional knock-out tournaments (March-April). The winning teams progress through to national semi-finals and then the showcase national final (May)
- The 'Minute Maid' Schools Cup Finals (Boys & Girls) will be played at the new multi-purpose Ricoh Arena, home to Coventry City FC in May
- 'Minute Maid' is a range of great tasting fruit juice and juice drinks making it easy to benefit from the goodness of fruit - at home, at work or out and about
* Statistics from The FA website: http://www.thefa.com/Womens/GettingInvolved/
