While we’re revelling in the bliss of a majestic summer of sport, 43% of once-active Gen Alpha girls will begin quitting sport this year for good. 
 
How can that be? We have a summer packed with the Olympic and Paralympic games, the Euros and Wimbledon to name but a few. With this lineup of events, surely the airtime and hype will breed a legacy of increased participation, right? Wrong. While there may be an initial spike in participation, these sadly tend to fizzle out. The London 2012 Olympics, though heralded for its forecasted impact, did not establish a lasting sports participation legacy according to Carter and Lorenc (2013).
  
Data shows that girls tend to stop participating in sports around age 14. This year, the oldest members of Gen Alpha are turning 14, and their “teenage breakup with sport” is beginning, despite significant progress in women’s sports globally.

For example, female participation in the Olympics has increased by 248% between the 1984 and 2020 Games and the success of England’s women’s team in the 2022 Euros sparked a 1.5% rise in girls’ football participation. However, while raising the media profile of these international women’s competitions is a much-welcomed step in the right direction, it’s still not enough. 
 
So, why do young girls still drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys? Gen Alpha girls are about to face two major challenges: puberty and peer pressure, which can negatively impact their enthusiasm for sports and their athletic confidence in various ways. While these issues have always existed, we now have more insight than ever about how to effectively reach and support this audience. 
 
The Women’s Sports Foundation has addressed sports issues well, but that's part of the problem: people see this as solely a sports issue for sports organisations and brands to solve, allowing the trend to persist. Limiting sports brands to sports problems and charity brands to charity issues is like a small group trying to protect a whole village from a tsunami.

These problems are larger than official bodies, sports brands, and TV coverage. We need to reframe this as a health and well-being issue that we can all help change.

In a nutshell, the challenges on both sides of the equation are reciprocal: Gen Alpha need more support to overcome their barriers to participation, whilst brands need new generations of consumers to survive.

What better way for brands to authentically unlock a new generation of lifelong customers than to find new ways to empower Gen Alpha girls to keep up their relationship with health and exercise? 
 
Disney provides a great example of this approach, partnering with the UK's Football Association in 2019 on their "Shooting Stars" initiative, reaching over 3,600 primary schools. The programme features two key pillars: active play through storytelling, and girls' football clubs, bringing Disney magic to the playground. Four years later, it continues to grow with over 75,000 girls having participated in the initiative. 

After conducting a global study that revealed the main barrier for girls in sport is the pressure to be perfect (with 89% of UK girls feeling this sentiment), Lego partnered the Youth Sport Trust to help power their "Girls Active" program in primary schools to help drive participation. This follows their 2023 "Unstoppable FC" campaign, where Lego joined forces with female footballers from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea FC to conduct "Play Workshops" teaching young girls the power of resilience. 

Furthermore, our team at Seen Presents assisted TikTok in supporting the "Creators United Collective" made up of 50+ women and girls from under-represented backgrounds and cultures who all shared a love for football.

Alongside insightful panels, we hosted a series of engaging sessions where the collective could hone their skills and network with top football creators within the TikTok community.

The core truth underpinning these impactful examples, and any others you may come across, is that experiences evoke positive emotions that resonate. When things resonate, they become memorable. In this case, helping young girls to focus on the positive effects that participation can have, rather than the barriers.

By reframing the problem, brands can intersect the key barriers with their offerings, unlocking authentic roles and experiences. Starting these experiences as early as possible will enable young girls to stay active through this pivotal age, creating true legacy and impact.

Here are my recommendations for where to start your thinking:

Support network: Connect girls with resources and support.
Social connection: Foster community and shared experiences.
New experiences: Introduce unique opportunities.
Moments of pride: Celebrate their achievements.
Balancing pressure: Offer mental health support and resilience-building.

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