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This Girl Can is 10!

13th January 2025

We're celebrating a decade of supporting women and girls to get active on their own terms.

This month we’re celebrating our 10th birthday! That’s a whole decade of empowering women and girls to move their bodies in their own way, and transforming millions of lives across England through National Lottery funding.

When we launched This Girl Can in January 2015, there were far fewer women getting active than men – and we were determined to do something about it.

We can proudly say that over three million more women are active now compared to then. Powered with £30 million funding from The National Lottery through Sport England, the campaign's bold approach has resonated deeply, with eight in 10 women reporting it boosted their confidence to get active.

Ten years of This Girl Can

Our marketing director Kate Dale, who was part of the launch team in 2015, is proud of This Girl Can’s barrier-busting impact but knows there is still work to do to support more women.

"This Girl Can marked the end of the accepted wisdom that getting sweaty in the gym, jumping into a pool without fear of judgement or playing football with your friends wasn’t for women," she said.

"Low confidence, poor body image, lack of time and enjoyment, and safety fears were all holding women back.

"This Girl Can has helped to break down those barriers, with eight in 10 women reporting that it boosted their confidence to get active. We thank The National Lottery and its players for making this campaign happen and empowering women.

"But research shows the gender activity gap stubbornly persists, with half a million fewer active women than men. Until all women are active, This Girl Can does not stop. Here’s to the next decade of changing women’s lives."

A woman jogs on a country track, with overlaid text reading 'I jiggle, therefore I am', and the logos of This Girl Can, Sport England and The National Lottery on the sides.

Through a decade of enormous change, including a global pandemic, This Girl Can's mission remained clear: to tackle the gender activity gap.

The gap begins at school – with more than half of girls dropping out of sport altogether by the age of 16 – and lasts into adulthood, meaning that millions of women were missing out on the physical, mental and social benefits of sport and physical activity, and were less likely to enjoy the good health, stress relief, joy and connection that an active lifestyle can bring.

Bursting into the public consciousness with a radical TV advert a decade ago, we dared to show what women getting active really looks like – celebrating everyday women of all ages, abilities, body types and from diverse backgrounds.

For the first time, screens across the nation featured the unvarnished reality of physical activity: the sweat, the out-of-breath puffing, the starting, stopping and starting again, without worrying what it looks like or how well you do it.

"This Girl Can marked the end of the accepted wisdom that getting sweaty in the gym, jumping into a pool without fear of judgement or playing football with your friends wasn’t for women."

Kate Dale

Marketing director, This Girl Can

The campaign, enabled by National Lottery players who raise over £30 million weekly for good causes, has broken multiple advertising barriers along the way. 

From tackling taboo subjects that affect women’s ability and confidence to get active – like cellulite, childbirth, breastfeeding, menstruation and menopause, to helping women stay active while juggling pandemic homeschooling – the campaign has evolved to meet changing needs.

More recently, it has championed women's right to exercise without fear of harassment or intimidation in the darker months with our Let’s Lift the Curfew activation.

A woman juggles a football on an outdoor artificial pitch, with overlaid text reading 'I kick balls - deal with it', and the logos of This Girl Can, Sport England and The National Lottery on the sides.

Despite the success of the last 10 years, there are still too many of you who don’t feel that physical activity is for you.

Women on lower incomes, those who are pregnant or with a child under one, older women or women from Black or Muslim communities are less likely to be active, according to Sport England data

This may be due to cultural or systemic barriers alongside the emotional and practical barriers we’ve always tackled.

This year, our campaign will focus on supporting those women – directly providing advice, inspiration and encouragement – and working with activity providers to help them create more inclusive environments. 

This phase of our campaign begins in February, with a call-to-action that will help all of us understand more about the barriers these groups of women face.

Further reaction

Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth

"This Girl Can is an inspiring campaign that has promoted women’s sport, challenged prejudice and made clear that sport is for everyone.

"As a government, we are investing £123 million in inclusive grassroots sport facilities that will support more women and girls to take part in the sports that they love."