Leicester research informs new Sporting Equals initiative
Research from the University's Department of Sociology has informed Sporting Equals’s latest consumer research which provides valuable insight into the the young Asian Pakistani female market that sport providers can draw upon to make sport more inclusive for this segment and help increase participation.
Sporting Equals, the charity that exists to actively promote greater involvement in sport and activity for disadvantaged communities particularly the black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) population, has launched a new initiative entitled the “Sporting Equals Insights Series”.
Sporting Equals insight into Young Asian Pakistani females identifies that these women face educational, employment and economic challenges alongside cultural barriers which impact on leisure and lifestyle choices. Finding the time, the right sort of motivation and the support meant there were limited opportunities for these women to pursue their interests in sport and physical activity.
Many of these young women were active at school and traced their relative lack of engagement in sport and physical activity after they left school linked to lack of confidence, available coaching, suitable facilities and adequate information and support.
The research was carried out using focus group techniques and one-to-one interviews and has been supplemented with information drawn from other research carried out by Sporting Equals.
John Williams, from the Unit for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement (DICE) at the University said: "It is especially important to hear the voices of people who are not regarded as 'typical' candidates for sporting activity and who are often 'missed' by sporting governing bodies and local providers. These Insights add to our patchy knowledge and they will help immeasurably in devising effective policy which is both inclusive and popular."
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