Female athletes say sports bra cost is barrier to participation

A former Team GB roller derby skater says the cost of sports bras is discouraging younger females taking part in physical activity.

Rosie Halsall, 18, from Sheffield, is campaigning for free sports bras and fittings for secondary school girls, allowing them to participate and improve their long-term health.

“I know a lot of girls who don’t wear sports bras and don’t want to do PE because they feel uncomfortable,” she said.

Miss Halsall’s proposal has been backed by Lincolnshire football club Sleaford Town Juniors, which runs five girls’ teams and educates players about the risk of wearing ill-fitting bras.

Having competed in roller derby for 10 years, Miss Halsall said she had bought second hand sports bras due to the cost and knew of other players who had stopped competing because they could not afford them.

She said: “I didn’t necessarily have all the bras I needed and they weren’t always the right size. It made it so much harder to compete.

“They [sports bras] are so important but cost a lot. I wear a helmet, pads and other protective equipment when I compete but my mouth guard costs less than a sports bra.”

The coaches at Sleaford Town Juniors, who make free sanitary products available to female players, said the importance of sports bras had “become more of an issue”.

John Williams, who co-ordinates the girls’ teams, said they had educated players about how an ill-fitting sports bra can create an imbalance when running and cause injury.

“It doesn’t just impact their sport but it can impact them later in life too,” he said.

The players at the club have backed the campaign for free sports bras saying it would encourage others to get involved.

In October, Miss Halsall won a competition run by Politika, a youth-orientated think tank, which asked young people to identify an issue which impacts their lives.

Chief executive Ben Rich said: “Rosie won because her submission was based on her own experiences.

“Because of what she had been through, she identified a real problem. That’s what we liked.”

The group has already been contacted by a company which offers sports bra fittings at schools which want to work with Miss Halsall on her proposal.

Department for Education guidelines state schools should “promote the importance of girls wearing sports bras when taking part in PE and sport”.

The Labour MP for Sheffield Central, Abtisam Mohamed, has offered to meet with Miss Halsall to discuss how her campaign could be developed.

She said: “Women in sport face so many barriers, and too often those challenges start at school. Rosie’s idea is a simple and powerful solution that could open doors for many young women.”

Miss Halsall said the use of sports bras at school age would also bring long-term health benefits.

“It’s incredibly important we get women and girls feeling comfortable, active and confident in sport so they can continue healthy habits until old age.

“Women are at a higher risk of osteoporosis and that costs the NHS. If you slowly phase out these diseases through increased exercise by encouraging girls into sport (at a young age) then you’re saving money.”