Girls are leaving sport before they're old enough to lead it
Where the pipeline really breaks
Updated June 4, 2026
In this article
In short
The Women and Equalities Committee launched a new inquiry on 26 March asking why women remain underrepresented in coaching, refereeing, sports science, governance, and broadcasting.
It's the right question.
But luna's data on teen girls suggests the answer starts long before any of them are old enough to apply for those jobs.
What luna's community is saying
In a luna poll of 2,740 girls, just 4% said sport was their favourite thing about school.
But why are so many teens quitting sport?
The disengagement starts early and stacks fast, with factors such as periods, puberty, and self-esteem all playing a part:
- In a luna poll of 1,049 girls, 70% said they'd skipped PE or wanted to because of their period
- A separate poll of 818 girls found that over a third had lost confidence in their sporting ability: 20% had started feeling self-conscious or judged, and 15% stopped feeling good enough
- In a poll of 2,371 girls, 55% said their PE kit alone made them less motivated to take part
- In a poll of 424 girls, 65% said they'd noticed their period affecting their sporting ability
By the time girls are old enough to consider coaching, officiating, or sports science, many have already opted out of sport entirely.
Why this matters
The inquiry frames non-playing roles as a separate question to participation.
But coaches, referees, and sports scientists overwhelmingly come from the ranks of people who stuck with sport through adolescence.
If you spent your teens dreading PE, hiding from the changing room, or having zero confidence in navigating periods and sport, you're far less likely to be the adult who wants to run a club, write about a match, or design the next generation's kit.
The visibility problem WEC is examining is also a feedback loop.
Girls rarely see women refereeing, commentating, or sitting on sports boards, and luna's data shows how that absence lands.
In a luna poll of 2,100 girls, 43% said feeling self-conscious about their body, appearance, or abilities makes sport harder.
The girls who never see themselves reflected in the sport's authority figures are the same girls being told, implicitly, that the space isn't built for them. On the pitch or off it.
What we'd like to see
The inquiry's call for evidence is an opportunity to widen the lens:
- Treat school-age disengagement as a workforce issue, not only a health one
- Investigate PE kit, period provision, and cycle-aware coaching as pipeline issues, not separate participation issues
- Fund mentoring schemes that connect girls who've stepped back from playing with non-playing roles, before they assume the door is closed
About luna's polls
luna regularly polls its community of girls and non-binary teens aged 11-18 on topics raised by users themselves.
Participation is voluntary, and all data reported is anonymised and aggregated.
Polls referenced in this piece attracted between 424 and 2,740 responses.
How we created this article:
luna's team of experts comprises GPs, Dermatologists, Safeguarding Leads and Junior Doctors as well as Medical Students with specialised interests in paediatric care, mental health and gynaecology. All articles are created by experts, and reviewed by a member of luna's senior review team.
Sources:
UK Parliament "Routes into sport for girls and women: WEC launches new inquiry" | Accessed 15.05.26
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/212863/routes-into-sport-for-girls-and-women-wec-launches-new-inquiry/We'd love to keep in touch!
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