Adolescent girls participation in sport

27th March 2026 - By Ella Waite

Over four days the Australian Institute of Sport hosted the annual Women in Sport conference (WISC) in Sydney. Speakers from all over Australia featured, covering all aspects of the female athlete from adolescence through their elite years, postpartum and life after sport. At Woollahra Physiotherapy we were able to watch and gained some valuable takeaways from the conference.

One of the key takeaways from the conference was how sport participation changes in adolescent girls. By 14 years old, 50% of adolescent girls participating in sport have walked away. Research has explored adolescent girls' perspectives around their participation in sport and what environment would support long term involvement. Researchers are currently trying to reduce the 71-79% dropout among 10-19 year old girls in team sports, which is at a much higher rate than boys their age.

Some barriers to involvement or walking away from sport for adolescent girls can include:

• Lack of friends in the team

• Poor parent/coach behaviours

• Competitive nature of sport as age progresses, not as much ‘for fun’

• Perceived lower skill level than peers

• Internal pressure to perform

• Anxiety and pressure

• Clashes between sports

• Time/distance to get to training and games

• Early and late practices

• School balance especially going into Year 11 and 12

Research is currently exploring strategies to maintain adolescent girls in sport throughout their teenage years. Several key areas have been identified for action in the future, with the aim of keeping the next superstar in the Australian sport system.

Recognising the ‘why’ adolescent girls do sport isn't just because of winning. Sport for adolescent girls is not just linked to success but also being in a team/community, with an ‘in it together’ mentality, learning and improving their skills and increasing fitness. Sport can give adolescent girls a space to grow, have standards and build on values giving them identity and a safe environment to do this in.

Catering for an environment for girls to grow, can look like a relationship style of coaching. Adolescent girls value input, collaboration and communication within a team and individual sports, compared to adolescent boys who value a more direct style of communication. Building relationships and having open communication can determine if adolescent girls feel supported in sporting environments. This can look like being asked questions during training around directions or areas they think they need to improve. The research is emphasising the need for supportive language alongside still giving these girls the challenge and competitiveness they enjoy within the sporting environment.

Research also uncovered the benefits and positive effects of having female role models. These role models or coaches give adolescent girls someone to look up to, and can be an easy source to go to for help navigating through puberty and menstrual cycle changes, which occur alongside their sport commitments.

Less than 20% of Australian girls aged 10-17 years old meet the Australian physical activity guidelines. These guidelines recommend a minimum of 60 minutes every day of moderate to vigorous activity. By giving adolescent girls a supportive, collaborative, and challenging environment, it is hoped that more Australian girls will stay in sport over the years to come.