New research from cricket apparel brand Maiden has revealed that playing competitive sports in youth can significantly benefit British workers as they navigate the modern workplace.

The study found that 69 percent of respondents believe sports have made them better team players, with 69 percent of men and 56 percent of women agreeing.

Also, 63 percent of participants felt that sports had equipped them with essential workplace skills such as teamwork (64%), competitiveness (49%), respect (37%), and resilience (37%).

Moreover, 39 percent of Britons believe that early sports participation promotes good health and fitness habits in later life.

A lack of suitable sportswear

Despite these advantages and the fact that 70 percent of girls enjoy playing sports, 36 percent are discouraged due to the lack of suitable sportswear. This issue makes a quarter of girls feel self-conscious, and nearly half of women (44%) are reluctant to wear uncomfortable kits, especially if they are unsuitable during menstruation (35%) or prone to showing sweat marks (27%).

The historical neglect of girls’ sports clothing could be impacting the pipeline of female talent in the workplace. As girls drop out of sports early, they miss out on valuable skills transferable to professional settings, potentially limiting the number of women in senior positions.

Suzy Levy, author of Mind the Inclusion Gap and Managing Director at The Red Plate, emphasised, “The benefits of keeping young girls in sport last well beyond the team or the trophy. Sport develops skills which last a lifetime.”

Avatar
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.