What does playing sports mean to young girls? 

If you asked me back when I was in my Toronto high school, I’d tell you that playing sports with my peers really meant the world to me.

There is a ton of pressure that comes with playing youth sports though. Think about everything young girls grapple with: body confidence, social life, education, and overall self-esteem. 

So it's not entirely surprising that 45 per cent of girls drop out of sports by age 14, according to a new global research statistic revealed by Dove and Nike. 

But what is surprising, is that it's because of low body confidence.

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It’s generally understood that young girls and women experience beauty standards differently in this world than boys and men. Many girls aspire to the ideal of physical perfection, but come to know later on that it can never really be achieved. 

According to Magdalena Tsilkas, physical education teacher and coach at Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto, self-esteem and body confidence issues impact young female players uniquely, “as they navigate societal pressures and stereotypes related to body image and performance.”

Words like being a “beast” on the court, or “monster” on the boards don’t necessarily align with stereotypes of femininity. Vulnerable youth might second-guess their bodies and performance based on the smallest comment or heckle from the crowd. 

I know I did. 

Given the 45 per cent statistic, how can we keep young Canadian girls in sports so they can feel fulfilled through the spirit of competition and teamwork? How do we keep girls confident and help them combat pervasive expectations about their bodies?

The essential role of coaches and parents 

blogTO was invited to attend Dove’s "45-Yard Line" flag football game for change in Las Vegas to get an idea of the essential work being done to stop girls from dropping out of sports.

Speaking with three-time Super Bowl champion and proud girl-dad Steve Young at Durango High School, he says the role of parent and coach are related, yet particularly distinct. 

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“Coaches have a voice that parents don’t have, and as a parent, your kids will only listen to so much,” Young tells blogTO. “So coaches become this vital piece of the puzzle for development. A good coach can make a parent’s job exponentially better.”

Having women in leadership roles also promotes confidence for young female athletes, says Coach Tsilkas, demonstrating “that women can excel in leadership roles within sports… leading to discussions about empowerment, self-confidence, and breaking down gender barriers,” while offering guidance and empathy based on lived experiences. 

That guidance, role modelling, and positive reinforcement is essential to young girls’ development, says tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams.

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“Girls who feel good about themselves do good things in life,” Williams tells blogTO.

“They achieve more, they make better decisions, they’re able to stand up for themselves at work, they ask for raises, they are in better relationships… it's a trickle-down effect when you feel good about you.” 

A new evidence-based tool for Canadian coaches

In working to break the 45 per cent statistic, and keep every girl empowered and playing sports for as long as they want to, Dove and Nike have unveiled the evidence-based Body Confidence Sports tool for coaches, harnessing over two years of international, peer-reviewed research.

According to Dove, 61 per cent of girls would be interested in hearing from their coach about body-confidence education. 

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Its new coach education modules and easy-to-use programs help leaders provide the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to build and fortify body confidence in their young athletes. Topics cover introductions to body image, tackling negative body image, and promoting body confidence. 

The tool is free and accessible in six languages – simply knowing that nearly one out of every two young girls leaves sports because of low body confidence should be enough to give the resource a try, or tell a coach in your life about it.

“What if I would’ve dropped out? What if that would’ve happened to me?” Williams asks herself. “The effect that it had on my life as a person, as a human being, I can’t imagine my life without sports.”

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You can learn more about Dove’s Self-Esteem Project online, and browse even more coaching tools that help empower 100 per cent of Canada’s next-generation athletes today.