‘Not-So-Sports Club’ helping young women in Christchurch put their best foot forward

A Christchurch charity is on a mission to empower and upskill young women with a not-so-traditional approach to active recreation and sport.

Forward Foundation has been in operation for more than a decade. It offers three core programmes for female students in Canterbury, focusing on providing development and leadership opportunities in sporting environments and removing key barriers to participation.

Their programmes include Combined Sports Teams, an Ambassador Programme and their latest offering, the ‘Not-So-Sports Club’.

“Our programmes are designed to instil confidence, increase participation and provide leadership development opportunities,” says Forward Foundation Programme Manager Kim Lazor.

“Research from Sport New Zealand tells us that high school girls are dropping out of physical activities at a greater rate than their male counterparts. Research also says girls have different motivations for participating and often prefer fun and social experiences to improve their physical well-being, rather than traditional sport.”

With funding from Rātā Foundation, the organisation is reaching low-decile schools in Canterbury with their free Not-So-Sports Club and removing some barriers driving young people away from sport and active recreation.

“The Not-So-Sports-Club was designed to give those girls that didn’t want to do traditional sport an opportunity to get active,” says Kim.

“We pick the girls up and take them out to do a different activity, whether it’s hiking, paddle-boarding, mini golf; we took them horseback riding.”

The Not-So-Sports Club is aimed at high school-aged students and is currently run at Hillmorton High School, Hornby High School, Te Aratai College and Haeata Community Campus.

Kim says the support Forward Foundation has received means more girls are given the opportunity to participate in the programme.

“We found, especially with the Not-So-Sports Club, two of the big barriers to participation are the cost of the programme and transport,” says Kim.

“So a lot of these girls wouldn’t be able to come to the programme without it being free and therefore without Rātā support.”

The Combined Sports Teams support girls from various schools in Canterbury to participate in sports not currently offered by their school, including rugby, football, futsal and cricket. Their Ambassador Programme seeks to grow aspirational and influential young leaders to help drive participation among their peers.

“All of our programmes have a component of personal development and leadership,” says Kim.

“The Not-So-Sports Club started as a pilot in 2020 with 16 girls and more than 150 girls have now had the opportunity to participate in the programme, which is something we’re really proud of.”

When it comes to participation in sport and active recreation, Forward Foundation’s ethos is simple. Kim says, “Our goal is just to get more girls out there, get them active and having fun.”

For more information about Forward Foundation’s programmes, visit their website.

To enquire about starting a Not-So-Sports Club at your school, email Forward Foundation: nssc@forwardfoundation.co.nz.