We want more young girls to stay in sport - Olympians join forces in Manchester for important cause

A shocking stat released by Women in Sport in 2024 shows 64% of young girls drop out of sport before they turn 16. To help raise awareness of this, Holland & Barrett organised a group of panellists who shared their personal journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and how they’re using their platforms to empower and retain young women in sport.

The panel focused on changemakers in sport, featuring four trailblazing athletes who are redefining what it means to lead in sport.

This panel featured GB hocket star Tess Howard, 400m athlete Laviai Nielson, Ellie Boatman and Rugby World Cup winner Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.

Tess Howard successfully campaigned in the Paris 2024 Olympics to become the first team to wear both shorts and skirts whilst playing Hockey.

Tess said: “I’m a big advocate for inclusion in sport founded a policy company that looks to create inclusive kit policies called Inclusive Sportswear.”

Adding: “Kits are not normally made for women and girls, and if you are uncomfortable, it's not your fault, but there's something that we can do about it to help you. Every kit policy should have choice. If you want to wear something, you have the right to do that and my organization is right behind you. I'm right behind you if you want to wear what you want to wear.”

Holland & Barrett’s Regional Community Wellness Coordinator, Shona Drummond said: “What we're trying to achieve here is to use our platform as one of the UK's biggest retailers to really enforce positive change on retaining young girls in sport. There is a statistic that that notes that 64% of young girls drop out of sport by the age of 16, which is obviously astronomical. So we're really trying to create a positive narrative to allow girls to enjoy themselves.”