Promoting women's sport: theory, policy and practice

Abstract

While in recent years there has been a good deal of critique of the representation and participation of women in sport, there have been relatively few attempts to link theory and practice by means of cultural policy interventions. This article discusses a community-based research project designed principally to encourage teenage girls to engage voluntarily in sport by improving local media coverage and developing the media and public relations skills of local sporting clubs and associations. It outlines how the Hunter Medialink Pilot Demonstration Project sought to achieve its objectives and presents findings that suggest, if not conclusively establish, the success of its strategies. The results also indicate that the importance of media coverage may be exaggerated and that word-of-mouth and peer group encouragement are of much greater significance in actually raising sports registration levels among girls and women. The article concludes with a reflection on the constraints imposed by the kind of externa...