England Golf has signed the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport’s Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, underlying the governing body’s commitment to equity for women and girls in sport and physical activity.
The declaration is an international treaty that has become a road map to support ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls.
Those that endorse the declaration commit to upholding the 10 principles that enable women and girls to freely and safely participate, compete and build careers in sport and physical activity.
After signing the declaration ahead of the England Golf Centenary Dinner & Awards at The Midland Manchester Hotel last Tuesday, England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson said: “This is a truly momentous occasion. Having launched our Respect in Golf movement last year, we reaffirm our focus on encouraging the participation of everyone and anyone in golf. Our passion and dedication to promoting golf as an all-inclusive sport is unwavering, as is supporting women and girls’ participation in every way possible.
“To become a signatory to the declaration is declaring our England Golf belief and commitment to inspire a culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport and physical activity.”
In 2014, on the 20th anniversary of its original establishment, the Brighton Declaration was updated by the IWG to become the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, to better reflect a changed landscape, including major developments in international policy, while still holding true to the founding principles. Over 600 global organisations have now signed the treaty.
Secretary General of the IWG, Lisa O’Keefe, said: “It was brilliant to have England Golf sign the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, cementing their commitment to supporting women and girls participating in golf.
“Their ‘Respect in Golf’ framework aims to make golf more inclusive in England by creating cultural change with a focus on making women and girls feel welcomed and included. Their framework aligns with the principles of our internationally recognised Declaration, and they join the likes of the RFU, the LTA and the Montenegrin Olympic Committee as recent signatories of this treaty.
“We are looking forward to working with England Golf to further highlight their push towards gender equality, with the intention to inspire other governing bodies looking to make similar changes within their sport.”