‘It’s disappointing’: Matildas World Cup star joins battle to stop young girls dropping out of sports

Latest research studies have shown young girls are dropping out of sports at an alarming rate, and it’s why Matildas star Ellie Carpenter is hoping to buck the trend ahead of a home World Cup.

Ellie Carpenter and her Matildas teammates want to be idols for young girls. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

AS THE growth of professional women’s sport continues in Australia and worldwide, an alarming statistic has serious ramifications for the next gen of stars.

Research conducted by Visa and Year 13 has found 15 to be the peak age that girls give up sport, with a staggering 60 per cent of girls admitting they don’t have a female sports idol to aspire to.

It’s a stat that upsets current Matildas star Ellie Carpenter, who knows first-hand the values of sticking with sport through the adolescent years.

“It’s disappointing to know so many young girls drop out of sport at such a young age, but I think there’s a big opportunity to turn this around,” she said.

“Not only can sport be fun, it can also teach you so much about yourself and equip you with important life skills - from building resilience and discipline to learning how to work within a team.”

Hailing from Cowra, 300km west of Sydney, Carpenter has experienced challenges that young girls can face through their sporting journey.

“As I started taking football more seriously, it meant more time travelling to places like Sydney and Canberra for training, games and tournaments,” she said.

“At one point, I think I was spending more time in the car than on the pitch so it was hard to balance my passion for sport with studying and seeing my friends.

“For any girl that’s thinking about quitting sport because they are finding it too tough to juggle with other commitments or they are lacking confidence, I would say, take a step back and remember why you started playing in the first place.”

Another alarming trend revealed the reason for almost a third of young girls giving up sport was due to body insecurities.

“It’s important to remember that everyone has insecurities, even professional athletes like myself,” she said.

“Sport can be a great way to build confidence and self-esteem, it’s an opportunity to focus on what your body can do.

“If you’re struggling with body image issues, talk to someone you trust, whether that’s a family member, a friend, a teammate or a coach. And most importantly, be kind to yourself.”

Year13 co-founder and co-CEO Saxon Phipps said it was important for the benefits of participation as more than just a path to the top.

“If they are feeling excluded and not welcome in sport because they’re not A-graders, well that’s a massive problem,” Phipps said.

“As a community we have to invest in supporting every girl to feel welcome in sport, and drive understanding that there is a place for everyone in sport - because every female deserves the lifelong learnings and benefits of sports participation.”

He said having a FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil is the perfect chance for young Australian girls to see their idols up close.

“The more athletes like Ellie Carpenter and her teammates there are on our screens the more chance there is for a girl to say ‘I want to play soccer’ or another sport,” he said.

“It really is going to be a watershed moment for women’s sport in this country, there’s going to be daily coverage for over a month of women’s sport going into our homes where teenage girls can see that sport is something for them too, something they could make a career out of, or just encourage them to grab a ball and go for a kick because it looks fun.”

Carpenter agreed, and wants her Matildas to inspire the future generations.

“There’s a saying, ‘if you can see it, you can be it’ and I think that’s never been more relevant than for young girls today.”