Push to keep sportswomen on the ball

By Ben Donaldson

As Auckland Council moves to boost female participation in sport, a local sportswoman says more support is needed to keep women in the game.

Former New Zealand national footballer and Mahurangi resident Tessa Berger has cited a lack support as the reason why young women drop out of sport during early adulthood.

In 2011, Sport New Zealand and Auckland Council ran a survey of over 20,000 children aged five to 18, to set a target to increase young people’s participation in sport by 2040.

From the survey results, Council resolved that one of its key challenge was to increase female participation.

“I had hoped that in my lifetime gender would not be a detrimental factor in playing the sport I love, but I would say it has been,” Ms Berger says.

“Perhaps if I were a male athlete I would’ve continued playing professional football as there is more opportunity than in the women’s game, not only in terms of the financial rewards at the top level, but also in terms of sponsorships and endorsements.”

Both Mahurangi College and Rodney College have a higher level of participation in sport from males and confirm that the number of girls in sport decreases as they reach the latter years of college.

Mahurangi sports coordinator Sandra Hawken believes the numbers drop around ages 14 and 15 when girls can become both more self-conscious and nervous about competing with senior students.

“I think each sport has its own pathways for girls. It’s a matter of knowing where to look or who to ask for help,” she says.

“Pathways could be improved in most areas through more social sport, but this requires adult volunteers and they aren’t always available.”

The Warkworth Association Football Club has 263 male players aged between five and 17, but only 56 females in the same bracket, and only three aged over 15 years.

“We’re encouraged as minors to play sport, but then there seems to be a transitional period that results in a lot of young women walking away from organised sports,” Ms Berger says.

“I don’t think enough is being done by governing sporting bodies to actively encourage women to continue their playing careers.”

Rodney Netball Centre president Lynette Gubb agrees that as age increases, participation drops.

She believes commitments such as friends, work and financial pressures are to blame.

Meanwhile, Mahurangi Hockey committee member Monique Vujcich thinks the drop in numbers is only temporary in hockey.

“It seems to be a common scenario that girls play sports through school and then drop out towards their later years of schooling, and then tend to pick sports back up as they get into a professional working environment, where they play at a social level,” she says.

“A good example would be the many ladies who have returned to playing social hockey in our league who haven’t played for years.”

Ms Berger says that from her experience, there is frustration across the board, from top tier domestic premier to women’s social teams.

“We’re still not considered a priority, either financially or organisationally, even if we consistently out perform our male club counterparts.”