Introduction
With increased gender equality worldwide and an acknowledgement of the health benefits of sports participation, the number of females who actively participate in exercise and sports is increasing rapidly.1 However, female athletes are often regarded as less able, less competitive and frailer than male athletes.2 Structural impediments are, therefore, in place that hinder females’ long-term participation, development and performance.3–5 One of these impediments is that most sports science research is performed on male subjects at various athletic levels.6 Consequently, the typical coaching education programmes are based on male-centred research.7 8 Despite many similarities between males and females, there are also fundamental differences between the sexes. Not taking those differences into account may lead to suboptimal development, body image misconceptions, negative peer dynamics, increased injury prevalence and premature drop-out for female athletes.9
Even though awareness of this issue exists within the sporting environment, more must be done to address it at the grassroots level.10 Many coaching methods are still being used, and the same stigmatising philosophies prevail, despite being outdated and sometimes even discriminating. A better approach would be to create a more enlightened sporting environment where girls and young women work with their bodies and not against them.2 11 As a result, there have been calls from various stakeholders for measures that improve the well-being and sporting experiences of girls and young females in organised sports.12 These calls are reasonable, seeing as the continued participation, development, health and performances of girls and young females are contingent on equitable and inclusive sporting environments that consider their biological, psychological and social (biopsychosocial) particularities.13
While the need for more relevant female-specific knowledge within the sporting environment is problematic, it stems at least partly from the suboptimal dissemination of relevant information from researchers and national sports organisations. In other words, the knowledge exists but is not being disseminated to the relevant parties. As a result, many coaches and parents do not possess the necessary knowledge to tackle or guide female athletes through the various biopsychosocial sporting challenges they encounter during puberty and adolescence.9 14 Parents and coaches who would be expected to guide the girls through this transition have been found to have a narrow and simplistic perception of puberty, body image, shape and weight.15 16 Thus, it is imperative that not only the girls but also parents and coaches become more informed about the developmental changes occurring during puberty and adolescence.
Adolescence is characterised by an increased sensitivity to social stimuli and a heightened need for peer interaction and acceptance. Adolescent female athletes have an increased likelihood of both risky and prosocial behaviour in the presence of their peers.17 Furthermore, it is also worth noting that a recent meta-analysis suggests stronger peer influence effects over shorter periods, which, in turn, reinforces the need to examine adolescent athletes’ perceptions of the ‘peer-created’ motivational climate.18 Future interventions are, therefore, encouraged to aid adolescent athletes in their continuing navigation of the social environment in organised sports settings, which is likely to reduce the risk of poor mental health in adolescence.
The study’s aims and objectives
The main aims of the FIDES Athlete Development Programme (ADP)1 are twofold. First, to develop a cost-effective and sustainable educational intervention for girls in organised sport and to evaluate the FIDES ADP using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. The hope is that this intervention can increase the well-being and improve the sporting experiences of young female athletes in organised sports by disseminating female-specific knowledge to key stakeholders.