Hundreds of young girls from across Birmingham came together earlier this week with the goal of empowering the next generation of female sportspeople. The Girls of Brum event, held on Thursday, June 11, at the Alexander Stadium, saw over 40 schools participate in a day focused on building confidence and promoting sports among young women.
Empowering Through Sport
Organised by Sport Birmingham, the event featured activities such as archery, golf, and tag rugby, led by many of the city's sporting leaders. Mike Chamberlain, CEO of Sports Birmingham, highlighted the importance of the initiative: "We are here to celebrate and champion girls' sport and the opportunities that girls can have in Birmingham. Everyone who's interested in girls' sport, providing the opportunity and making that more of a level playing field is here."
Bianca Sano, a volunteer for Girls of Brum, emphasised the impact of community events on young futures: "Sports are mainly male dominated, so having more girls participate will just make a bigger difference."
Young Voices Speak Out
The event was met with enthusiasm despite the dreary weather. One young girl remarked: "People say girls shouldn't be doing things, but really girls can do the same thing as men can do." Two year six pupils shared their excitement about trying new activities, with one stating: "It's very important for young people to get into sports because not every girl has the opportunity to get into sports, but if more people will do it, then they feel confident to do it themselves."
Inspiration and Lifelong Activity
Katie Lodge, a PE teacher at the event, stressed the significance of getting girls active and inspired: "It's important to get the girls physically active, get them into sport, and to encourage them and inspire them for a lifelong activity. Have a go, enjoy it, and definitely get involved with a team."
Special guests included Karenjeet Kaur Bains, also known as Athena from the BBC show Gladiators, who added to the inspiration for the young attendees.
