Five new Club Community Organisations on board for second year of innovative Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered project
Women in Sport, in partnership with the Fatherhood Institute, EFL Trust and the University of Newcastle (Australia), is excited to announce that five new Club Community Organisations (CCO’s) will be part of the ‘Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered’ project for the next two years in the UK.
Leyton Orient Trust, The Albion Foundation (West Bromwich Albion), Foundation of Light (Sunderland AFC), Middlesbrough FC Foundation and Stoke City Community Trust will join Fulham FC Foundation, who were part of the project’s inaugural pilot year. In total, six clubs will deliver the programme for the next two years, supported by Sport England’s Families Fund through National Lottery funding.
The ‘Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered’ programme has been developed by the University of Newcastle (Australia) and Professor Philip Morgan and his team.
The programme aims to increase physical activity levels, sports skills and social-emotional wellbeing of girls 5-11 years by challenging stereotypes about playing sport and physical activity and increase fathers’ confidence and ability to act as role models in relation to their daughter’s participation.
Eleven families took part in the project’s inaugural year, and the programme had a great impact on those that took part. Initial findings suggest:
- Father and father-figures on the programme mentioned growing a stronger bond with their daughters and suggested they would increase the amount of family activity they do as a result of taking part.
- All the girls that took part in the project showed a strong belief that girls are just as capable as boys at physical activity and should be able to enjoy the same opportunities, both individually and with their family.
Lee Warren, Innovation Manager for the DAD Project, said:
“We’re delighted to have five new clubs involved in this project for the next two years alongside continuing our partnership with Fulham who have built strong foundations. We’ve already started to see the impact that the Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered programme can have on its participants and the long-term lifestyle changes that it can deliver. We’re looking forward to seeing these clubs support more families in their local communities to get active.”
- Women in Sport and the project partners will explore these initial findings in greater depth with a larger sample size to understand any significant impact in year two and three.
Mike Diaper, Executive Director Children, Young People and Tackling Inactivity, at Sport England said;
“Following a successful first year of testing the Daughters and Dads programme, we are really pleased that our National Lottery investment can now help to extend its reach into new areas across England. We know that we need to continue to do more to help girls and less affluent families get active, and one thing that hinders this are gender stereotypes that can cause families to believe that physical activity is less important for girls than boys. We also know that parents and carers often see their role as helpers and less as role models in encouraging their children to be active. This programme, based on a model from Australia, is addressing these challenges and we look forward to seeing the results of this in the North East, West Midlands and London.”
Mike Evans, Director of Operations, EFL Trust said:
“The EFL Trust are delighted that our Club Community Organisations are involved in this project, empowering young girls to be more confident and to begin to take the lead in encouraging their families to have a more active lifestyle. We are proud to have the opportunity to enable daughters and their fathers to spend more time together whilst developing positive and life changing habits.”
For more information on the Research and Advice Service and Women in Sport’s work visit www.womeninsport.org.
