Scotland’s sporting icon Judy Murray visited St Margaret's School for Girls in Aberdeen on Wednesday, October 27 to celebrate Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week 2021 which aims to increase the visibility and participation of women and girls in sport and physical activity.
Judy’s visit was organised as part of the Battle of the Brits in the Community programme in partnership with Brodies LLP to mark Sport Scotland's Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week.
An alarmingly disproportionate number of teenage girls drop out of physical activity compared to their male counterparts and although numbers have improved over the years, there is still a way to go;
- In the 13-15 age group only 30% of girls are meeting the physical activity recommendations, compared to 44% of boys (source: 2019 Scottish Health Survey).
- Teenage girls were also less likely than teenage boys to be taking part in sport (56% of girls compared to 63% of boys (source: Sport Scotland).
Throughout her morning at St Margaret’s, Judy Murray held three interactive sessions with school pupils, including Higher PE students and sports captains, before heading to a Q&A session with 65 girls from Primary 7 and fifth year.
Discussions focussed around the challenges of coaching, practice, ability, and being mum to Andy and Jamie. Judy responded with a focus on positive attitude, commitment and a memorable quote, “it is a talent to be able to work hard”, in a bid to inspire a legacy of participation and offer the older pupils an insight into women in leadership roles within sport.
Well known for supporting both her sons’ outstanding tennis careers as well as leading a successful sporting career of her own, Judy uses her platform to encourage young people, especially girls, to pick up a sport.
Commenting on her visit, Judy Murray said: "I'm really passionate about getting girls involved in sport. The doors that it can open and the life skills it promotes are endless, so it was wonderful to be able to develop leadership and physical skills with the teenage sports leaders and some of the primary school children. It's good to see that there's a vibrant extracurricular programme at St Margaret's which encourages girls to enjoy being active together through a wide variety of physical activities and sports."
St Margaret’s School For Girls, Scotland’s oldest all-through girls school, champions a ‘sports for all philosophy’ and aims to promote equality when it comes to barriers facing young girls both in sports participation and further afield.
Anna Tomlinson, head teacher for St Margaret’s School for Girls, added: “This is a fantastic and timely opportunity for everyone at St Margaret’s and it is my hope that Judy Murray’s visit will inspire our girls to reach for the stars in everything they do.
“The ongoing pandemic has undoubtedly created a shift in thinking and more than ever we are focused on how we lead healthier and active lifestyles. We have seen a real increase in the number of our girls taking part in sport and activities as extra-curricular activities have re-started, which is so great to see.
“Being given the opportunity to take part in sport and being encouraged to do so is vital for so many reasons. Not only are we focused on addressing historical gender inequalities, but taking part in sport can have far-reaching physical and psychological benefits for young people. We believe that the confidence and skills gained from taking part in sport and activities can be hugely beneficial in so many aspects of life.”
The opportunity to speak directly with and learn from leading female figures is something that the staff of St Margaret’s are keen to make a regular occurrence. Earlier in the year, they hosted their ‘Inspirational Women’s Webinar Series’ as part of the school’s 175th anniversary, which featured talks from Judy Murray, Mary Contini, OBE, Dr Nicola Steedman and Leanne Crichton.
Battle of the Brits - Scotland versus England will take place at The P&J Live in Aberdeen on December 21 and 22. Tickets are still available via the link here.