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FEATURE Lidl State of the Nation Teenage Girls and Sport Report 2023 examines attitudes to Sport of Girls 12-18 Years of Age. L ast September Lidl Ireland unveiled the findings of their latest State of the Nation research which examines the impact participation in sport has on female secondary school students (girls 12-18 years of age). Lidl, official retail partner of the LGFA and proud sponsor of the All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools competitions, first commissioned research on the attitudes of young females towards participation in sport in 2017 producing the first State of the Nation report which gave a unique insight into the views of females 12-18 years of age. This latest Lidl research revisits the attitudes of young females to participation in sport following the disruption of the COVID pandemic. The research was carried out by Spark in August 2023 canvassing 350 females nationwide aged between 12-18 years. LIDL IRELAND RESEARCH SHOWS • Body confidence has increased among female secondary school students since 2017. While overall body confidence has increased from 28% to 36%, girls that play sport are significantly more likely to have high levels of body confidence (40%) compared to girls who do not play sport (25%). • The number of girls who believe their mental wellbeing is strong has declined from 52% in 2017 to 43% in 2023 but 49% of girls that play sport report strong levels of mental wellbeing compared to just 29% of those that do not play sport. Among the benefits of playing sport cited by girls in the research was that it is good for your physical health (73%), increased mental wellbeing (49%), increased energy levels (49%), lifelong friendships (42%) and increased confidence (39%). • Female secondary school student participation in sport is flourishing, with 50% stating that they currently play sport compared to 39% in 2017. • The pandemic has had an impact on participation, with one in five of those who stopped participating claiming they stopped playing sport during COVID and never returned. One in three said they lost interest in sport as a result of the pandemic while almost one in two (47%) said they found it hard to return to sport after the lockdown. • Ladies Gaelic Football is the leading sport according to the research, with 41% playing the game while 28% are playing Camogie, 25% are playing soccer and 21% are playing Basketball. 51% of 12-14-year-old girls who play a team sport are playing Ladies Gaelic Football. 52 | AUTUMN 2023 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie