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More than half of girls aged 12-16 don't play any sports

girl-playing-basketballImage source, Getty Images

Many of you will be excited about getting back to your 5-aside footie teams, tennis clubs, and athletics training VERY soon, as organised outdoor sports are set to resume from 29 March!

However, according to new research more than half of teenage girls admit they do not play sport at all.

Results out today also show that 1 in 3 girls drop out of sports during puberty - which happens around age 12.

Have you stopped playing sports as you got older? What do you think about this story? Let us know in the comments below.

What else do we know?

Image source, Getty Images

The researchers found that there is a lack of engagement in sports among girls once they hit puberty with more than half (55 percent) of 12-16 year olds saying they do not play any sports.

Three quarters (75 percent) of girls feel more support is needed to keep them in sport.

So, why is this happening?

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Girls say they dropped out of sports for several reasons, 28 percent of those who stopped playing sports said they did so because they thought they weren't good enough, and 25 percent said they didn't feel encouraged to keep playing.

Not thinking of sport as a priority also seemed to be a reason for two fifths of girls aged 12-16, who said focusing on schoolwork and studying took the place of sport.

Two fifths of teenage girls don't feel like their parents encourage them to play sports, backed up by the fact that more than 1 in 10 parents admitted that they are unsure if sport participation is as important for girls as it is for boys.

What do adults think?

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As well as speaking to girls, the researchers spoke to adults too.

They discovered that 15% of adults think girls' focus should be on doing well at school and getting good grades rather than focusing on playing sport.

And just under a quarter of parents said that girls are less likely to become professional athletes than boys.

However, the research also showed that more than six in 10 adults are aware of the importance of sport for girls and recognised it as contributing to skills such as confidence, dealing with stress, social skills, leadership and perseverance.

Have you stopped playing sports as you got older? What do you think about this story? Let us know in the comments below.