Create sports stars who will get our girls catching the goals

THEER’S just one week of the year when we can be sure there’ll be women in the sporting news: Wimbledon. But is that enough? As the South African Society of Physiotherapy (Sasp), we don’t think so.

That’s why Sasp is asking you, the media, to commit to help us get girls hooked on sport at an early age.

As physiotherapists, one of our primary goals is to get everyone in our society moving. If we want a healthy, productive and long-lived population, a key element is exercise – and it’s especially important for our girls.

Why? This is what it would mean for our country:

Girls who do sport are less likely to have teenage pregnancies.

According to the South African Demographic and Health Survey 2016, released in May, some 16% of girls aged 15-19 have given birth or are pregnant. That means poorer education outcomes.

Girls who play sport have better self-esteem and more confidence.

Girls who play sport do better academically.

Playing sport helps stave off a host of physical ailments, including breast cancer (four hours of exercise a week may reduce the risk of this top cancer for women by as much as 60%.)

One of the saddest sentences in the Sport and Recreation South Africa Strategic Plan 2015-2020 is this: “Participation by women was particularly poor and major sports set targets that were not achieved, with little to no opportunities afforded to girls at school and club level.”

The Strategic Plan points out that many of our schools lack sports facilities and equipment; when they do fall into line with the requirement of the National Development Plan that each school should offer at least two sports, often those are soccer and cricket, with girls not welcome to apply.

Where do girls look for mentors in sport? You will see sportswomen in the news a few times a year: over Wimbledon and during other Open titles, after Comrades and during the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.

In netball : “We have four of our national players playing in super leagues in Australia, New Zealand and England. Bongiwe Msomi, the captain for the Spar Proteas as well as the Kingdom Stars (KZN netball), has had a phenomenal season playing for the Wasps Netball in England.”

Karla Mostert is also creating waves in Australia, playing for The Sunshine Coast Lightening, who are through to the finals of the Australian League tomorrow.

“The Momentum Protea Women are off to the World Cup and I suspect they will fare better than the beloved Proteas,” says national netball team physiotherapist Nande Mjajubana. “The reality is that for female athletes to get sponsorships, they need the media coverage… From a sponsorship and funding perspective, our ladies really do need the exposure.”

Please help us to give our girls something to shoot for – give our women better coverage, create sports stars who will get our girls moving!

Website: www.saphysio.co.za Dr Ina Diener President, SASP