Driven by a bold vision, the team at Sport Birmingham set out to create a dynamic event that not only celebrated girls in sport but also aimed to break down barriers and inspire more girls to get active and involved in physical activity.
Background
In the early planning stages, Sport Birmingham’s Lauren Davies (Development Manager – Education) and Hayley James (Senior Partnerships Manager – Community) came together to shape the vision. They recognised that to create a truly representative, community-led event, it was essential to engage both system and place-based partners from the outset, ensuring a collaborative and co-produced approach every step of the way.
A dedicated planning and management team was brought together, inviting key partners to actively contribute and help shape the direction and delivery of the event. A key pre-planning event was held at the Alexander Stadium in March. The event was designed to reflect diverse perspectives, drawing on insights from both Sport Birmingham’s internal team and wider system and place partners. To achieve this, an all-female Project Management Group was formed – bringing together passionate and influential leaders from across the sector, including representatives from Activity Alliance, This Girl Can, Spark Active, StreetGames, and the M.A.D. youth panel. Complementing this structure, themed sub-groups were established to focus on key areas such as marketing and communications, schools, leadership, and community clubs. Each subgroup, also female-led, provided a platform for specialist skills and ideas to be channelled effectively, with clear ownership and accountability built in. Volunteers from United by 2022, community ‘anchor’ organisations and business partners were also invited to become involved.
The Vision
While progress has been made in encouraging more women and girls to get active, significant inequalities remain across the sport and physical activity landscape.
Girls are still far less likely than boys to participate in team sports – with only 47% of girls aged 5-16 regularly involved, compared to 69% of boys. By ages 13-16, this gap widens further, as only 44% of girls remain active, versus 51% of boys (data source: Women In Sport 2024).
Barriers such as low confidence, fear of judgment, time pressures, and limited access to female-friendly environments continue to prevent many girls and women from taking part.
To truly level the playing field, a continued focus on inclusive programming, diverse representation, and targeted support is essential – especially for girls from underrepresented communities.
Creative Collaboration: Girls Lead the Way on Event Branding
A group of girls from the MAD camps played a central role in shaping the visual identity of the event, working closely with Sport Birmingham’s Marketing Officer, John Gage. Through a collaborative design process, the girls co-produced a series of creative logo concepts that reflected their ideas and energy.
Their designs were then refined and brought to life, becoming a key part of the event’s branding – proudly featured on promotional materials, including the official event t-shirts. This hands-on involvement not only gave the girls a platform to express themselves creatively, but also ensured the branding truly represented the spirit and voices of those it was designed for.
The Event
At the event held on the 24th June, nearly 500 girls aged 10 to 12 joined us from primary, secondary and specialist schools. Seeing them all together, trying new activities, building friendships and having fun, was a reminder of exactly why we do this.
In keeping with the theme, we also pulled together an all-female volunteer workforce for the event – an inspiring group from local organisations like Compass Support, Birmingham City University, Selfridges, Goldman Sachs, United By 2022 and Impact Fitness. It was fantastic to see female role models in action, showing young girls that being involved in sport and physical activity doesn’t stop at participation. There are so many ways to make your mark.
We also made a conscious choice to bring in a female videographer to capture the event which was a small but important step in showing girls the possibilities in industries where women are still underrepresented.
Of course, none of this could have happened without the incredible support from the 35 delivery organisations who brought so much energy and expertise on the day:
- Activity Alliance
- Andrew Simpson Centre
- Archery GB
- Aston Villa Foundation
- Badminton England
- Basketbelles
- Basketball England
- Bike Right
- Birmingham City Council
- Birmingham Panthers
- British Cycling
- Carolle & Iman Tennis
- Circus Mash
- Crescent Archers
- Davies Sport
- England Kabaddi
- Fitcap
- ICC Women’s World Cup
- Impact Fitness
- Jude Freeman Fitness
- Make Change Wheelchair Basketball and Boxing
- Midland Mencap
- NFL
- Our Community Foundation
- Pickleball England
- Places Leisure
- PureGym
- RFU
- Saathi House
- School Games Organisers
- Selfridges
- Spark Active
- StreetGames
- The Active Wellbeing Society
- Warwickshire Cricket Foundation
The event was a real team effort and a brilliant example of what happens when Birmingham comes together for a shared goal.
And if all that wasn’t enough…
We were absolutely thrilled to welcome Karenjeet Kaur Bains to Girls of Brum for our opening ceremony…the perfect role model to show young girls that with determination and self-belief, anything is possible.
Karenjeet’s list of achievements is seriously impressive. She’s Britain’s first female Sikh powerlifter, a Commonwealth Powerlifting Champion, a Guinness World Record holder, a five-time British Champion… oh, and a Saturday night TV star too!
Her story, her energy, and her message of resilience truly inspired the girls, so much so, we thought the queue for a photo might stretch right out of the stadium!
It was such a brilliant moment to kick off the day — showing every girl there that barriers can be broken, and the future really is wide open.
Reflections from external stakeholders
We spoke with key partners involved in the planning and delivery of the Girls of Brum event, including Ali Evans from Activity Alliance and Tiana Barnes who is a member of the M.A.D. Youth Panel.
Ali Evans, Activity Alliance…
Activity Alliance is a national charity championing inclusion in sport. It empowers disabled people through insight, training, advocacy, and partnerships..
Ali played a crucial role in shaping the event, offering guidance to ensure it was as inclusive as possible. She provided valuable input on accessibility, from access to the event and into the venue through to facilities, equipment, communication, and support to meet a wide range of needs.
Ali attended the volunteer briefing, where she helped build volunteers’ confidence in supporting young disabled people – offering practical advice and training to make the event more welcoming and accessible for all.
On the day, it was “all hands on deck,” and Ali fully pitched in – from distributing goody bags to advising on inclusive practice and connecting with key system leaders in attendance.
Reflecting on her experience, Ali shared:
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to be part of an all-female steering group. The collaboration has allowed us to spread the message of inclusive sport to a wide audience – volunteers, schools, participants, and system partners…One of the most powerful insights from the event was understanding the role of friendship in girls’ enjoyment of sport – the sense of togetherness and the ability of sport to bring girls together.”
Tiana Barnes, Youth Voice in Action…
Tiana Barns, a dedicated member of the MAD Birmingham Youth Board, played a key role in helping shape the Girls of Brum event designed for young women. Invited to join Project Management Group made up of inspiring women, Tiana brought valuable insights from a youth perspective to the table.
Throughout the planning process, she participated in both virtual and in-person meetings, offering ideas that would ensure the event was engaging, relevant, and welcoming for the participants. Tiana shared:
“I think the event was a brilliant idea and really beneficial. I wish I had access to something like that when I was in Year 6 and 7.”
Tiana added,
“The Alexander Stadium proved to be an ideal venue for the event, offering a spacious and calming setting that allowed attendees to step away from their usual school environment and build confidence though a new experience.”
Tiana’s involvement is a great example of how youth voice can help shape meaningful, inclusive experiences for the next generation.
Looking ahead…
Girls of Brum 2025 has shown what’s possible when people come together with a shared goal, creating spaces where girls feel confident, included and inspired to try something new. From our incredible partners and volunteers to the schools, organisations, and young people who made this event so special…this has been a real team effort, and one we’re proud to be part of. But we know this is just the start. Thank you to everyone who played a part and here’s to building even more opportunities for girls across Birmingham!
To find out more about the event and to get involved in future collaborations, you can contact our Development Manager (Education) lauren.davies@sportbirmingham.org