Our inspiring women footballers and netballers may have reached World Cup finals, but the situation on the ground for most girls remains dire, with less than one in five girls in the UK loving sport and feeling they get enough chances to play. ‘Growing up I didn’t aspire to reach the top in netball because it wasn’t ever on TV and so I had no one to look up to’. We also know that the misogyny that women at the top of sport are faced with, and the narrative surrounding their successes is leading many girls to question if they belong in sport. For 72% of girls the ‘questionable kiss’ at the football world cup final opened their eyes to how women in sport are treated.

There have been some steps forward, but sadly, there have also been several steps back. We must act now. We won’t see long-term change for girls’ unless we: - Expose the ongoing barriers in sport for girls and women and dismantle the gender stereotypes that crush girls’ self-belief, through our campaigns. -Continue advocating for girls and ensure that sport is valued for them, in the way it always has been for boys. -Continue our fight against misogyny and work with our peers in the sports sector to implement meaningful policy changes for women and girls.