Startling numbers reveal girls are losing hope of sports brilliance despite English women's success

The findings, published in the latest Let Her Dream report by the charity Women in Sport, represent the lowest figure recorded since monitoring began in 2020.

This 15 per cent drop occurred despite unprecedented visibility for women's elite team sport in 2025, a year that saw the Lionesses secure consecutive European Championship victories and the Red Roses claim Rugby World Cup glory.

The survey gathered responses from 2,504 young people aged 13 to 24.

Nearly half of the girls questioned, 45 per cent, reported that "people think sport is for boys and doesn't matter for girls."

The research exposes how deeply entrenched gender stereotyping affects young women's sporting ambitions.

Among girls who describe themselves as loving sport, the proportion dreaming of success has plunged by up to 35 per cent.

The heightened profile of female athletes has brought an unwelcome consequence as women now have greater exposure to the misogynistic abuse they endure online.

This visibility of hostility towards sportswomen has emerged as a significant deterrent, pushing girls away from pursuing their athletic ambitions.

Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive of Women in Sport, described the emergence of this "dream deficit" as a "shock" following a landmark year for women's athletics.

Hilborne told the Telegraph: "We didn't expect the gap between girls and boys to widen in this way, and for girls' dream rates to have plummeted. It's really gutting, especially as the Lionesses and Red Roses couldn't have done more to inspire the nation last summer."

She noted that while elite women's sport has enjoyed remarkable exposure, this same visibility has also highlighted online misogyny and abuse directed at female competitors.

Hilborne highlighted that girls-only sport remains uncommon, particularly for those under 11, arguing that mixed environments often disadvantage young women due to persistent stereotyping.

She said: "If you throw girls and boys together, thinking it's on an equal playing field, it's not."

The charity is urging greater investment in female-only team activities both within schools and at grassroots clubs.

Survey data support this approach.

As high as 83 per cent of girls and young women agreed that single-sex rugby boosted their confidence.

This compares with 59 per cent of boys.

Participants also reported improved performance and reduced anxiety about judgment.

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