Women’s Sport Week – A Reflection
Women’s Sport Week (1-7 June 2015) is the first initiative of its kind to devote a week to promoting women in sport. It provides an opportunity for everybody involved with playing, delivering, leading or working in sport to celebrate, raise awareness and increase the profile of women’s sport across the UK.
British Rowing are fully supportive and encourage all of our members to get involved in this initiative. The campaign has been supported consistently throughout the week through our social media channels as we recognise the importance of equality and opportunities for women in sport.
The week was set up as a part of a number of recommendations of the Government Advisory Board on Women’s Sport and the Chairman of British Rowing, Annamarie Phelps was part of the small working group who pulled the initiative together. This group was put together by a larger group of sports organisation representatives, including media channels, sporting National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Annamarie volunteered to represent the sporting NGBs to help drive the success of the week.
As part of the week’s activities, British Rowing spent a beautiful Wednesday morning at the Tideway Scullers School, (TSS) in Chiswick with the master’s women’s group, to capture their weekly rowing session. Annamarie supported the morning and said that “Women’s Sport Week is a chance to highlight the number of women already partaking in sport whilst also trying to encourage more women to take part in sports like rowing”
The interest for this rowing session attracted broadcast media with Sky Sports and London Live in attendance to support the week, promoting the importance of women in sport, but more specifically on this particular occasion, women in rowing.
Louisa Reeve, Great Britain Women’s 8+ showed her support for Women’s Sport Week (WSW) by attending the morning and expressed that “it is really important to get women involved in sport to experience all the benefits, such as the fun and friendships”
The TSS women were filmed during their session preparation and reflected the flexibility that we have within our sport as they paddle at different times during the week and have made rowing fit into their lives: just like many of our rowing community across the country.
Sophia said that rowing “Feels like flying (I think)”, whilst Vicky discussed “the comradery in crew boats, being outdoors, the tranquillity of the river and it makes you feel young”.
Women’s Sport Week is both about getting more women and girls involved in sport and an opportunity to showcase our female athletes who are at the top of their game. This week is an opportunity for everyone to get involved and show their support for women’s sport.
We would like to say thank you to the rowing community for supporting Women’s Sport Week and thank the Tideway Scullers masters women for their time and support.
Support Women’s Sport Week by tweeting #WSW2015 @BritishRowing
See the London Live footage here
