Para-athlete, Stef Reid, joins forces with Always to show the world that the benefits of playing sport during puberty go far beyond the track
LONDON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sport is about so much more than the wins, yet sadly nearly one in three girls drop out of sport during puberty. That's why Always is teaming up with inspirational Para-athlete long jumper, Stef Reid, to continue their mission to keep girls playing.
A recent study of 1,000 girls and 1,000 adults, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Always, throws light on the current state of girls' participation in sport during puberty, as well as the long-term benefits of girls playing sport[1]. According to the research, women who played sport during puberty said that it helped them learn how to persevere (23%), and helped them to develop their self-esteem (30%). In fact, 50% of women who dropped out of sport as teens wish they had continued to play.
In partnership with the charity Sported, the brand has already helped over 15,000 girls in the UK this year to continue playing sports, by awarding over 130 grants to grassroots community groups. Stef, who is heading to Tokyo in August, joins the brand to share her own experience of how she felt the long-term benefits of sports extend well into adulthood.
At the age of 15, Stef was in a boating accident, resulting in the lower part of her right leg being amputated. She went from being a confident and outgoing teenager, to someone who felt embarrassed about how she looked. Luckily, her parents and teachers encouraged her to keep playing, and Stef found that sport was a tool that enabled her to heal and grow as a person.
"Sport gave me back my fire and fierceness!" says Stef. "Through it, I learnt the value of hard work, I learnt how to deal with failure, and I learnt how to be resilient. It also helped me build confidence to explore so many things outside of my sporting career, that I might not have considered before, like starting a career as a broadcaster, stepping in to sport governance roles and even walking in London Fashion Week. I wish more people knew how much sports can help girls, just like it helped me. I find it really sad that so many girls give up when they hit puberty. That's why this partnership with Always means so much to me. I want other young girls to be able to experience the benefits I did, and I hope you'll join me and Always to keep girls playing."
The research confirms that girls do need support and encouragement to keep playing. In fact, nearly 75 percent of girls have said they require more support to keep them involved in sport. That's why, in addition to further raising awareness of the benefits of sport, Always is continuing to donate to Sported. The money donated will be used to help more community groups hire youth centre spaces and ensure that they have the necessary sport equipment to support participants as lockdown eases.
Members of the public can help by:
- SUPPORTING the girls in your life to stay in sport and tagging @always_uk_ireland and #KeepHerPlaying to trigger a donation to Sported.
- PURCHASING a pack of Always Ultra, Always Platinum or Tampax Compak Pearl from participating retailers during the campaign period to also trigger a donation to Sported.
To learn more about Stef's story, the #KeepHerPlaying campaign and for full Terms and Conditions, visit always.co.uk/keepherplaying.
About Always
Always®, the world's leader in menstrual protection, offers a wide range of pads and liners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. For over 35 years, Always has been empowering millions of girls globally through puberty and confidence education, providing products to those in need and tackling societal barriers to their confidence through the Always #LikeAGirl movement. Together, Always believes we can create a world where neither periods nor gender get in the way of young people reaching their full potential. This campaign is part of Always and P&G's ongoing commitment to gender equality and is among the efforts to deliver 2,021 Acts of Good in 2021. Please visit www.always.co.uk for more information.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bold®, Braun®, Daz®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Herbal Essences®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, Tampax®, Venus® and Vicks®. Although headquartered in the US, P&G was founded by an Englishman and an Irishman in 1837, our heritage lives on through the work of around 2500 people across 10 sites, including R&D Centres, Manufacturing Plants and Business sites, across the UK and Ireland.
To learn more about P&G UK and Ireland, our brands, and our Citizenship programmes, please visit our website, download our Northern Europe Citizenship Report, or follow us on our social channels (Twitter @PGUK and Instagram @pgukandireland).
About the Research
1. Always commissioned a nationally representative, online survey, run by OnePoll, amongst 1,000 UK girls and 1,000 UK adults in December 2020.
About Sported UK
Sported are the UK's largest network of community groups supporting half a million young people to overcome barriers to reach their full potential through grassroot sport and physical activity. The 2,600 groups within our network are deeply rooted within their communities and led by highly committed, passionate local people who often give up their time voluntarily to run initiatives that help young people from their community to succeed. However, grassroot groups are often under-funded and under-resourced. That's why Sported helps empower the local heroes running these groups by providing much needed professional expertise, resources and operational support, free of charge, to help their group survive and thrive.
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