Last night (3 April) the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf hosted a panel discussion on the work being done to attract more women and girls to the sport.
MPs and Peers were joined by honorary and associate members in Parliament as a panel of speakers gave evidence on a range of areas related to efforts to encourage more women and girls into golf, including leadership, research, health and participation.
The panel comprised: Jackie Davidson, The R&A’s Associate Director for Development; Lauren Spray, England Golf’s Women and Girls Manager; Maria Stokes, Professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the University of Southampton; and Simon Ellsworth, Syngenta’s Head of Professional Solutions.
Each panelist made a short presentation on their work, before MPs and Peers had the opportunity to question them on what more they thought could be done to encourage more women and girls to participate in golf.
Speaking afterwards, All-Party Parliamentary Golf Group Co-Chair and Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire Craig Tracey MP said “it was a pleasure to welcome the panel to Parliament, and to hear about some of the excellent work that is being done to foster a more inclusive culture in golf.
“The insights provided will help Members of the Group to consider what more we can do to support the development of women and girls golf, and we look forward to meeting with the Sports Minister later in the year to discuss some of the fantastic initiatives that are ongoing across the United Kingdom.”
Member of Parliament for North East Fife and All-Party Parliamentary Golf Group Co-Chair Stephen Gethins MP said “the All-Party Parliamentary Golf Group was delighted to be an early signatory to the Women in Golf Charter, which has helped to pull together the golf industry to focus on women and girls golf, and I congratulate The R&A for the leadership they have shown.
“We look forward to continuing to work with a range of organisations from across the sport to support more opportunities for women and girls to participate and work in golf.”
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf www.parliamentary.golf