Less than half of UK sports bodies live up to national goal of female representation

Sport England has a target of England reaching a 25% female representation on sport’s governing boards by 2017, but according to a new survey conducted among 45 national governing bodies (NGB) in British sport, less than half live up to that goal.

The newly released study “Thophy Women? NGB Leadership Audit 2014”, has been carried out by Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF).

Although this year’s results show an overall increase in the percentage of women in sport’s governing boards in England, rising from 23 % in 2013 to 27 % this year, WSFF believe more should be done to make the governance of sport even more gender-diverse and they call for a 30% female representation on sport’s governing boards.

“I find it shocking that in 2014, we still have so few women in leadership positions in sport,” says Ruth Holdaway, WSFF ceo on their website.

“Reaching a 30% diversity threshold for NGB Boards by 2017 is entirely possible.”

Sport England agrees that there is still work to be done in the area of creating gender balance in sport governance:

“The latest figures from WSFF show we are making progress, but there is much more to do. There is no shortage of excellent female candidates, and where sports have appointed women to their Boards, they are making a significant contribution. I strongly urge those NGBs that have not reached the 25% threshold to take steps to do so before 2017,” Sport England Chief Executive, Jennie Price, says in the press release accompanying the survey.

WSFF have been carrying out this type of survey each year since 2009.

Read the press relase from Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation from where the survey results can be downloaded.