CHANGE LIVES THROUGH SPORT
the HER SPORT
FOUNDATION
Girls who play sport become women who lead.
The Her Sport Foundation is our not-for-profit organisation working to break down the barriers that stop girls and women participating in sport, and to create equal opportunity regardless of gender.
WHY THE FOUNDATION EXISTS
THE COST OF
GIRLS LEAVING SPORT.
When girls leave sport, they lose more than fitness. They lose access to lifelong health benefits, confidence, belonging and leadership opportunities. Ireland loses too. The Foundation exists to change that trajectory.
THE PROBLEM
1 IN 2
GIRLS ARE GONE BY 20
By age 20, half of young women have stopped participating in sport — missing out on health, confidence and opportunity.
11%
ARE ACTIVE ENOUGH
Just 11% of teenage girls in Ireland meet daily activity guidelines. Most are missing out on the lifelong benefits of movement.
94%
SPORT BUILDS LEADERS
94% of women in executive managerial positions have a background in sport. The skills learned on the field travel far beyond it.
€1.5BN
THE COST OF INACTIVITY
Physical inactivity costs Ireland an estimated €1.5 billion each year through healthcare costs and lost productivity.
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WOMEN’S SPORT IS STILL UNDER-SEEN
Women’s sport still receives less than one-fifth of sports coverage. Yet seeing female athletes inspires girls to believe sport is for them.
WHY SPORT MATTERS FOR LIFE
KEEP A GIRL IN SPORT.
CHANGE WHAT COMES NEXT.
BETTER MENTAL HEALTH
Girls who play sport are between 1.5 and 2.5 times less likely to suffer from mental health disorders, showing just how important regular participation can be for wellbeing, resilience and connection.
HEALTH THAT LASTS
Sport and physical activity prevent more than 97,000 cases of disease in Ireland every year, saving over €400 million in healthcare and productivity costs. Keeping girls active is an investment in lifelong health.
CONFIDENCE & BELONGING
More than half of girls say that watching professional female athletes inspires them to play sport. Visibility creates role models, strengthens belonging and shows girls that sport is a place for them too.
LEADERSHIP FOR LIFE
Research shows 94% of women in C-suite roles played sport, while girls who remain active after school are 50% more likely to reach senior management later in life. Sport builds skills that travel far beyond the pitch.
EVERY GIRL DESERVES THE CHANCE TO PLAY.
IRELAND DESERVES THE WOMEN THEY’LL BECOME IF WE KEEP THEM IN THE GAME.
HOW WE CREATE CHANGE
FIVE PILLARS.
ONE MISSION.
Our work is designed as one connected system: remove barriers now, build confidence and opportunity, amplify role models, generate evidence and use it to change the systems around girls and women.
EDUCATION
We subsidise and fund workshops so cost is not the reason a school misses out. Girls and key stakeholders leave with knowledge, confidence and practical tools.
GRANTS & SUBSIDIES
We reduce the financial pressures that push girls out of sport, supporting schools, clubs, teams and athletes with essentials such as kit, equipment and travel.
RESEARCH
We gather and publish evidence that guides programmes, policy and public debate, ensuring decisions are built on fact and lived experience.
VISIBILITY
We amplify female athletes and role models because visibility changes culture, changes belief and inspires the next generation to participate.
ADVOCACY
We bring the experiences of girls and women into national decision-making and push for safer, fairer and more equal sporting environments.
OUR IMPACT
4,000+
STUDENTS ENGAGED
In the Foundation’s first year.
60+
WORKSHOPS DELIVERED
To schools and clubs.
82%
ENCOURAGED TO TRY SPORT
Of girls not already active.
15M
PEOPLE REACHED
Through research and equality conversations.
46
SCHOOLS & CLUBS SEEKING SUPPORT
For essentials such as jerseys, travel and equipment.
WHAT YOUR SUPPORT MAKES POSSIBLE
TURN SUPPORT INTO
OPPORTUNITY.
SUBSIDISED WORKSHOPS
Fund access for schools that could not otherwise afford a Her Sport workshop, helping more girls build confidence, knowledge and belonging.
REMOVE FINANCIAL BARRIERS
Help schools, clubs, teams and athletes access kit, equipment, travel and resources that keep participation possible.
RESEARCH & SYSTEMIC CHANGE
Fund evidence, campaigns and advocacy that influence policy, challenge inequality and improve the environments girls and women experience.
SEE THE IMPACT
HEAR FROM THE GIRLS THEMSELVES
If you have three minutes, what this video. It explains why we do what we do.
GET INVOLVED
HELP US KEEP MORE
GIRLS IN THE GAME.
Every contribution helps us remove another barrier. Choose the way you want to support the Foundation.
DONATE
Support subsidised workshops, grants, research and advocacy that help more girls start, stay and succeed in sport.
BECOME A HER SPORT MVP
Support the wider Her Sport mission through our membership community and help us build a stronger future for women’s sport.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Want to support the Her Sport Foundation in a different way through your business? We can build partnerships around education, research, grants and national impact.
For Foundation partnerships and support enquiries: foundation@hersport.ie