Scottish Cycling has launched its first Women & Girls Strategy to coincide with Scottish Women and Girls in Sport week.
The strategy, launched at West Lothian Cycle Circuit with the support of Sports Minister Ms. Maree Todd and double Paralympic champion Jenny Holl, aims to make a step change in female participation in cycle sport.
Despite making up over 50% of the population of Scotland, women are under-represented in cycling, a situation familiar to many sports, and whilst women’s participation is on the up, Scottish Cycling is determined to accelerate this process.
Whilst Scottish Cycling already implements a number of initiatives to make cycling a more female friendly sport, the strategy outlines how the whole organisation, and the Scottish Cycling community, can come together to make a tangible difference.
Speaking at the launch event, Ms Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, said:
“Women & Girls in Sport Week is the highlight of my year every year, so to launch this strategy during this week is just fantastic. When we were discussing the UCI Cycling World Championships, which were held in Scotland last year, one of the opportunities we saw was to try and get more women cycling,
“Lots and lots of women would like to cycle, but very few of them do, and this strategy is about tackling that. I’m really keen that women and girls have the opportunity to participate in sport; that’s what this week is all about, and that’s what this strategy is about, and I’m absolutely certain it’ll have an impact.”
Scottish Cycling Chief Executive, Nick Rennie, commented:
“The launch of our first Women & Girls Strategy is a huge moment for Scottish Cycling and our community, and follows on from our commitment last summer to shift the dial on female participation in our wonderful sport.
“Scottish Cycling already has a number of initiatives aimed at females, which are slowly starting to shift the gender balance, however that rate of progress isn’t quick enough for our liking, and so this strategy, and supporting action plan, aims to really accelerate our work in this area.”
Double Paralympic champion, Jenny Holl, added:
“It’s really great to see Scottish Cycling stepping up and pushing for more diversity within the sport, particularly in the women and girl’s space. For me, now is the perfect time – having watched the Elite Women’s Road Race at the Glasgow ‘super worlds’ last year, it’s clear to see that there is the support and appetite for women’s cycling in Scotland, we just need to help people access it.”
After extensive consultation with the cycling community and key stakeholders earlier this year, Scottish Cycling refined its strategy to make its vision as clear as possible.
The strategy is broken down into five focus areas, the five Rs: Ride, Race, Role Models, Recognise and Relationships, which are all as important as the next if the organisations 2027 targets are to be achieved. These include a 30% increase in female members and event entries, a 10% increase in retention within the Performance Pathway, 20% more coaches, and a number of new partnerships with other organisations who can help support the fulfilment of these goals.
The strategy clearly outlines the vision, and steps that will be taken to get there, but sitting below this is an Action Plan, which goes into the detailed interventions, and sets annuals targets to keep Scottish Cycling on track to reach its 2027 goals.
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