Initiative at Cork school aiming to keep teenage girls involved in sport 

A national initiative designed to help keep teenage girls in sports has been launched in a Cork school and is co-sponsored by two local companies.

Mallow-based companies Ashgrove Renewables and EPS Group are co-sponsors of Badminton Ireland’s nationwide BadminTeen initiative, which was launched at St Mary’s Secondary School last month.

BadminTeen came about as a way of attempting to reverse the trend of teenage girls dropping out of sports in their secondary school years.

Research shows that while 94% of girls in primary school engage in sports, that drops to 65% in secondary school.

Introduction

The BadminTeen initiative is being piloted at St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow, where Badminton Ireland recently spent two days with 26 Transition Year (TY) students, giving them an introduction to the sport and showing them how to run a club.

Offering life skills such as teambuilding, negotiation, and organisation, the programme will also encourage participants to introduce the sport to primary school students as part of their TY programme.

The initiative is designed to provide young women with the tools and confidence needed to engage in the sport.

After its successful launch at St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow, BadminTeen will be introduced in selected pilot schools across the country.

Enda Lynch, CEO of Badminton Ireland, said the BadminTeen programme was about more than just playing a sport.

“It’s about creating a fun, yet supportive environment where girls can challenge themselves, discover new talents and gain confidence,” Mr Lynch said.

“We believe this initiative will have a lasting impact on the girls’ lives, both on and off the court.”

For more information about the BadminTeen initiative, or to learn how schools can get involved, visit https://www.badmintonireland.com/home.