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Workplace Challenge providing solution for getting women active in the workplace

Greater awareness of women’s sport and activity is being hailed as a factor in driving increased participation, as the latest national 8-week activity challenge reports a 13% rise compared with the same period last year. 

Latest statistics released today by Workplace Challenge show activity levels of women workers are on the rise. Workplace Challenge is designed to motivate and inspire people across England to get active in and around their workplace. With more than 5000 workplaces registered and over 750,000 activities logged, Workplace Challenge is providing sporting opportunities for almost 30,000 working people across England – more than half of whom are women.

Women’s participation in sport and physical activity is currently under a spotlight, thanks in part to campaigns such as Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ - ‘a celebration of active women up and down the country who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets’.

The campaign is focused on getting women thinking and talking about activity and sports participation. With more than 146,000 likes on Facebook and 45,000 followers on Twitter, This Girl Can is opening up honest conversation, with girls and women sharing their activity experiences, fears, triumphs and ambitions.

Lee Mason from the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network) said:

'Where This Girl Can encourages women to talk about activity, Workplace Challenge is helping satisfy a need for a convenient and fun way to fit activity into a busy lifestyle – it provides the means for women to be ‘the girl that can – and does.’

Lee continued:

'For women who want to increase their activity, but who are hampered by barriers such as a lack of free time, Workplace Challenge offers a solution to the problem. It means activity can be built into and around the 9-5 working day. From walking to work, to lunchtime runs and post-work netball or five-a-side competitions, it’s a team-based approach that works on the principles of camaraderie and social influence to encourage participation.'


Sport England Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said:

'When we spoke to women, we started to understand some of the reasons why they thought sport and exercise was not for them, and many cited time as a factor.
'We know that over 70 per cent of women would like to be more active and the Workplace Challenge is a great initiative offering women the chance to incorporate sporting activity into their working day.'

Workplaces are typically sedentary environments - statistics from Public Health England show that over a third of adults spend more than six hours a day desk-bound or sitting still – and Workplace Challenge is helping shift the statistics towards a more active workforce, through changing attitudes and behaviours.

Workplace Challenge participants can self-motivate by setting personal targets, by recording and sharing their levels of sport, physical activity and active travel via the online leaderboard, and through competing with other workplaces, friends and colleagues. The leaderboard ensures an element of friendly competition and women can use the dedicated This Girl Can leaderboard to monitor and compare their performance.

Making it more social with My Team 2015

To make workplace activity even more compelling, and to help participants maintain momentum through a social team spirit, My Team 2015 is a dedicated Workplace Challenge concept that puts teamwork at the heart of activity. Employees are invited to join together to win points for their workplace by logging their activity and sports participation, and to share their experiences and achievements on Twitter using #MyTeam2015.

The My Team 2015 national challenge is drawing to a close as the initial eight-week contest period concludes on 1 March, although individual’s and workplaces will be able to sign up to Workplace Challenge, earn activity points and enjoy the events and activities all year round.

For information and to participate, visit www.workplacechallenge.org.uk.

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) is supporting This Girl Can to ensure more disabled women can get involved in the campaign. Read a number of active disabled women's stories and their thoughts on This Girl Can.
Join the conversation and follow @thisgirlcanuk on Twitter and use hashtag #thisgirlcan and 'like it' on Facebook, visit the website on www.thisgirlcan.co.uk and check out the exclusive campaign film previews.