Reading Festival of Sport

 The Reading Festival of Sport was a community response to help girls and young women find ‘belonging in sport’.

 ‘Women in Sport’ says 80% of girls feel they don’t belong in sport, with 90% not reaching recommended activity levels for physical and mental health.

 - 30+ local sport clubs, elite athletes and alumnae led taster-sessions, masterclasses and motivational talks. 

- 1,000 young people took part, experiencing a new sport – such as rugby sevens, lawn bowls, weightlifting and boxing - alongside more familiar school sports. 

Meanwhile, we launched a Reading-wide conversation about ‘belonging in sport’, hosting public viewings of an exhibition featuring globally-renowned female athletes overcoming bias. The exhibition, on loan from the Saatchi Gallery, was visited by 2,500 people.

As a result, we’ve added NEW sports to the curriculum and launched a talk series to explore ‘belonging in sport’ further. Guest speakers include Sky Sports’ Anna Kessel and swimmer Adrian Moorhouse, with attendance warmly extended to  wider Reading schools and the community.

 The festival resulted in a relationship with the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) to advance gender equality, starting with 4 students speaking at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. From this year the Festival becomes town-wide in partnership with Reading Council.

 “The power of sport is something special. There really can be a place for everyone and the joy and confidence that brings can be seen in every walk of life. Every place of learning has a different context, but all have one thing in common - young people figuring out their place in the world. We’re so proud of our sports clubs, amateur and professional athletes across the Reading community and we love working together to help every young person find a sporting activity that brings them joy”.

Julie Penhaligon, Director of Sport

Aims

Reading Festival of Sports @ The Abbey gave students the opportunity to work with elite athletes plus alumnae and professional and volunteer coaches from Reading sports clubs - all who offered a variety of new experiences and professional expertise - new ways of thinking.

We ran 30+ masterclasses and taster sessions building interest, knowledge and excitement ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Sports represented by medallists in the Commonwealth Games included rugby sevens, para-powerlifting, table tennis, boxing, wheelchair basketball, artistic swimming and lawn bowls. Reading community sport clubs included Reading Athletics, Albatross Diving, Sonning Hockey and Woodley Netball.

 There was also substantive peer learning. Daily student-led demonstrations and lectures provided a remarkable platform: to Tanthini, ranked 4th in the country for badminton; to figure-skater Sophie, who has won a bronze medal for GB; to Hannah, who is a member of the British Shooting Talent Academy; and to gymnast Laura, ranked 3 in the UK. They shared their stories in a way that was inspirational.

 All this generated a gear-shift in learning. The diversity represented, particularly in parasport against the backdrop of the exhibition, was transformational. Students had such a step-up in understanding the direct experience of athletes; they understood barriers in sport in new ways; and that has led to genuine self-reflection on the obstacles to their own belonging, reflected in surveys. They understood themselves better in a way that will make a lifelong difference.

Impact

Success was measured through quantitative and qualitative metrics:

500 students engaged in a student-led conversation about the barriers facing women in sport;

1,000 students took part in sporting activities led by 30+ elite athletes and community sport groups;

2,500 people from across Reading viewed the trailblazing exhibition ‘In Focus: Women’s Sport Through The Lens’ at The Abbey, which was opened to the public for National School Sports Week.

We surveyed 100 students to get a deeper understanding about the impact of the festival: 

66 said they took the opportunity to try a new sport (the remainder choose to further a sport they already played);

42 said they would now take up a new sport as a result;

74 said the exhibition had made them think more about the challenges facing women in sport;

40 were able to name a female role model in sport and explain why. Many of the role models named were featured in the exhibition: Skye Brown, Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe and Billie-Jean King.

Legacy Impact:

Based on student advocacy, new sports from the festival have now been added to The Abbey PE curriculum including basketball, rugby, diving, weightlifting and lawn bowls;

On the back of the festival, four students were invited to speak by video at IWG, an international forum on Women & Sport,at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, attended by influential figures in UK sport and politics;

The Reading Festival of Sport returns in 2023 as part of the town-wide Reading Children’s Festival.