Closing the dream deficit in sport

Julia George External Communications Lead Women in Sport

The Women’s Ashes cricket series between England and Australia in Sydney marked the start of a spectacular year for women’s sport. The Australian Open, the SheBelieves Cup for football and the Lionesses’ UEFA Nations League game against Spain at Wembley – both taking place in February – will kick start the year with unmissable moments and opportunities for fans to cheer female athletes on to victory.

Looking ahead to March, China will be hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships and here in the UK, the Women’s Six Nations kicks off, with England as one of the favourites, ahead of the hotly anticipated home World Cup and the UEFA Euros in Switzerland in July. Throughout the year, we will also see ice hockey, golf, swimming, basketball, judo and weightlifting events.

With all these events happening worldwide, it would be easy to think that the battle for equality in sport has been fought and won. But Women in Sport’s latest research - conducted after the Paris Olympics - tells a different story. It reveals how differently girls and boys view sport – and their place within it.

Although 54% of boys said seeing female Olympians made them want to support the women and girls in their lives more, the same percentage think there has ‘been too much focus’ on gender equality in sport. More than a third (36%) of boys think that if women’s sport becomes more popular men’s sport will ‘suffer’.

Let this year be about opportunity and equality, inspiring boys to be allies to girls with sporting dreams

Where do views like these come from? It can only be a reflection of society as a whole, highlighting how deeply stereotypes persist.

Our research shows that, while the majority of boys want to be supporters and more girls than ever dream of reaching the top, boys have very different perceptions of inequality than girls themselves.

More than half (59%) of boys believe that girls are encouraged to play sports as much as they are, compared to just 31% of girls. Nearly half (47%) of boys also say that they make ‘better leaders’ in sport. This isn’t just about numbers – it’s about dreams. There is still a significant gender ‘dream deficit’, with too many girls made to feel that sport isn’t for them.

As fans fill stadiums and tune in to celebrate female athletes in 2025, let’s ensure this year is about more than victories on the pitch, track or in the pool. Let it be about opportunity, not blame. Let it be the year we finally move past the outdated stereotypes highlighted in our research and inspire a true culture of equality – where boys grow up not just as spectators, but as genuine allies to women and girls with sporting dreams. For more information about Women in Sport’s research and to get involved with our work visit: [womeninsport.org/take-action/donate/](https://womeninsport.org/take-action/donate)