More than 260 delegates from across golf and the wider sporting community gathered on Friday 9 October for the inaugural England Golf Women & Girls Summit: Building a Game for Her, sponsored by Your Golf Travel.
Hosted at the East Midlands Conference Centre, the sold-out event brought together club representatives, volunteers, industry leaders, stakeholders and delegates from other national governing bodies to share knowledge, exchange experiences and explore new ways to attract more women and girls into golf.
The summit provided a platform for open discussion, learning and collaboration, encouraging attendees to consider how clubs and facilities can evolve to better meet the needs of current and future participants, while also exploring how the industry can create more opportunities for women to progress into leadership positions.
A varied programme of keynote speeches and panel discussions featured contributions from leading voices from across golf and sport, including Dame Denise Lewis and broadcaster Sarah Stirk, as well as experts from organisations including the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Lawn Tennis Association.
Under the theme Building a Game for Her, discussions centred on creating welcoming, flexible opportunities that reflect how women and girls want to engage with the sport. Conversations explored the importance of looking beyond the traditional 18-hole experience, placing greater emphasis on community, accessibility and formats that fit around modern lifestyles.
The summit provided a platform for open discussion, learning and collaboration, encouraging attendees to consider how clubs and facilities can evolve to better meet the needs of current and future participants, while also exploring how the industry can create more opportunities for women to progress into leadership positions.
A varied programme of keynote speeches and panel discussions featured contributions from leading voices from across golf and sport, including Dame Denise Lewis and broadcaster Sarah Stirk, as well as experts from organisations including the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Lawn Tennis Association.
Under the theme Building a Game for Her, discussions centred on creating welcoming, flexible opportunities that reflect how women and girls want to engage with the sport. Conversations explored the importance of looking beyond the traditional 18-hole experience, placing greater emphasis on community, accessibility and formats that fit around modern lifestyles.
England Golf Game Changers Ambassador Denise Lewis said: “The biggest message I hope the delegates took from the event was that they can be the change that we want to see. Small changes lead to big outcomes. Through repetition of intention, good intentions, change is inevitable.
“Golf is doing a great job of having the conversations that women and girls need to feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging. We must keep listening, continue making adaptations within clubs, and reach out to communities that are already doing exciting work to encourage greater participation.
“The women’s game is growing. Young girls now have role models they can look up to, so let’s harness that momentum, make the game fun and approachable, and find small ways to make golf more accessible, whether that's adapting tee times or creating more opportunities for women to play.”
Sky Sports Golf presenter and host of the event, Sarah Stirk, added: “We all want to see more women and girls playing the game, and events like this help spark some really important conversations.
“I really enjoyed the opening panel discussing what sports such as football, cricket and tennis are doing to attract more women and girls. There were some excellent insights and valuable takeaways for golf.
“It’s about listening, inspiring and motivating, but it's also about action. We want to see meaningful change. While we're seeing growing interest in the sport from women and girls, the key question remains: what is the next step? How do we retain those golfers once they get involved? Hopefully today has started some conversations that will help us answer that.”
The event also marked another step forward in England Golf's ongoing work to increase female participation, building on the success of its women and girls education workshops delivered earlier this year and complementing the organisation’s growth pilot programmes.
“Golf is doing a great job of having the conversations that women and girls need to feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging. We must keep listening, continue making adaptations within clubs, and reach out to communities that are already doing exciting work to encourage greater participation.
“The women’s game is growing. Young girls now have role models they can look up to, so let’s harness that momentum, make the game fun and approachable, and find small ways to make golf more accessible, whether that's adapting tee times or creating more opportunities for women to play.”
Sky Sports Golf presenter and host of the event, Sarah Stirk, added: “We all want to see more women and girls playing the game, and events like this help spark some really important conversations.
“I really enjoyed the opening panel discussing what sports such as football, cricket and tennis are doing to attract more women and girls. There were some excellent insights and valuable takeaways for golf.
“It’s about listening, inspiring and motivating, but it's also about action. We want to see meaningful change. While we're seeing growing interest in the sport from women and girls, the key question remains: what is the next step? How do we retain those golfers once they get involved? Hopefully today has started some conversations that will help us answer that.”
The event also marked another step forward in England Golf's ongoing work to increase female participation, building on the success of its women and girls education workshops delivered earlier this year and complementing the organisation’s growth pilot programmes.
Emma Highwood, Head of Women’s Development at England Golf, said: “The response to our first Women & Girls Summit has been fantastic and highlights the appetite across the industry to work together and drive positive change.
“We wanted to create an environment where people could listen, learn from different perspectives and leave with practical ideas they can implement within their own clubs and organisations.
“The key message throughout the day was that growing participation isn't about asking women and girls to fit into existing structures. It's about understanding their needs and being prepared to adapt our environments, experiences and opportunities accordingly.
“We're encouraged by the conversations that took place and the willingness of so many people to be part of the solution. By continuing to learn from our education programmes, growth pilots and, most importantly, the experiences of women and girls themselves, we can help create a stronger, more inclusive future for the game.”
The summit reinforced England Golf’s commitment to increasing female participation, while bringing the industry together behind a shared ambition to make golf more relevant, accessible and welcoming for women and girls. It also highlighted the organisation’s continued investment in developing female leaders through its Women’s Leadership Programme.
Find out more about England Golf women’s initiatives by clicking the below links:
England Golf Strategy
Leadership Programme
Women in Golf Charter
Women on Par
Golf Fore Her
SafeGolf
“We wanted to create an environment where people could listen, learn from different perspectives and leave with practical ideas they can implement within their own clubs and organisations.
“The key message throughout the day was that growing participation isn't about asking women and girls to fit into existing structures. It's about understanding their needs and being prepared to adapt our environments, experiences and opportunities accordingly.
“We're encouraged by the conversations that took place and the willingness of so many people to be part of the solution. By continuing to learn from our education programmes, growth pilots and, most importantly, the experiences of women and girls themselves, we can help create a stronger, more inclusive future for the game.”
The summit reinforced England Golf’s commitment to increasing female participation, while bringing the industry together behind a shared ambition to make golf more relevant, accessible and welcoming for women and girls. It also highlighted the organisation’s continued investment in developing female leaders through its Women’s Leadership Programme.
Find out more about England Golf women’s initiatives by clicking the below links:
England Golf Strategy
Leadership Programme
Women in Golf Charter
Women on Par
Golf Fore Her
SafeGolf
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org