2degrees Launches SupportHer Club

New Zealand telecommunications company 2degrees is proud to announce the launch of the SupportHER Club, a new campaign which aims to celebrate women in sport, and encourage Kiwi girls to stay active in sport.

Women’s sport gets less media coverage, less funding and less resources, Additionally, at younger levels young women are leaving sports and physical activities at significantly higher rates than young men.

A recent study by Sport New Zealand reveals that by the age of 17, girls are spending 28% less time being physically active than their male peers. This is due to a range of factors including puberty, self-consciousness over body image, lack of confidence, judgement, time pressures, motivation and loss of fun.

However, playing sport has been shown to have a raft of significant benefits for young girls, including: physical health, boosted self-esteem, fostering resilience, enhanced social skills, development of leadership qualities, and better mental well-being.

The SupportHER Club provides information and resources for parents, coaches and other supporters to help young girls stay in sport, and is an extension of 2degrees’ long standing women’s sport sponsorships.

2degrees SupportHER’s driving force, Anna Gorman, says major New Zealand corporates have a role to play in ensuring that Kiwi girls are given the support they need to stay active.

“At 2degrees we are passionate about supporting Kiwi girls and women in sport at every level, which aligns with our commitment to Fight for Fair.

“We are proud partners of the 2degrees Tall Ferns, Aupiki clubs The Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua, and Matatū, Basketball New Zealand’s Girls Got Game programme, the Tall Ferns, and the Tania Dalton Foundation.

“The SupportHER Club is the latest component of this work - providing vital resources which can be used across New Zealand to help keep girls interested and engaged in sport.

“The website provides valuable resources for caregivers, parents, girls and educators, and we will continue to build up a library of materials to help foster interest in sport.”

“We are in this for the long haul – Fighting For Fair in women’s sport at all levels, and we will continue to sponsor key teams, provide grass roots support, and much more to come.”

Basketball New Zealand’s Participation and Wellbeing lead, Meaghan Wilby welcomed the initiative:

“We’ve seen first-hand the massive advantages in ensuring that girls stay active through their schooling years,” Wilby said.

“Not only is it great for their physical health, but it helps to build fundamental social skills that will stay with them for life. Sport is about hard work, camaraderie and achieving little wins along the way. It’s an incredibly rewarding way for our rangatahi to spend their free time.”

As part of SupportHER, highly respected clinical and performance psychologist Dom Vettise has shared a series of tips to help guide young women to stay active.

Vettise has served as the lead psychologist for the New Zealand Olympic Committee during the Paris Olympics and has worked with sports teams, including the Black Ferns 7s and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Netball.

His tips include:

- Find her tribe—sport is more fun with friends: Girls are more likely than boys to stay in sport because of friendships and social belonging. Encourage friendships in sport by arranging carpooling, team events, and social gatherings.

- Reframe setbacks as growth opportunities: Teaching girls to see mistakes as learning experiences rather than failures helps them stay in sport longer. Avoid criticism like, “You should have done better.” Instead, ask, “What did you learn today?”

- Strong is powerful: Girls experience a greater drop in confidence and sport participation around puberty compared to boys. Praise strength, skill, and resilience.

For more information and to find Dom’s full list of top tips, visit the SupportHer Club website.

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