England footballer Beth Mead, from Hinderwell, near Whitby, backs campaign to get girls playing outdoors again
Hinderwell’s England footballer Beth Mead is backing a campaign, It Starts Outside, to help spotlight how outdoor play helped shape her career today.
This follows new research revealing girls in the UK are opting out of outdoor play by the age of eight.
Growing up in Hinderwell, Beth – who plays her club football for Arsenal ladies in the Women’s Super League - began playing football in local community fields before joining the boys’ team at California Boys FC, a decision she was inclined to take due to limited access to football for girls at the time.
The talent she showcased there led to Middlesbrough Academy, marking her first step into the women's football world on her way to the top of the game.
New research by OnePoll shows that girls in the UK are beginning to disengage from outdoor play from as young as the age of eight, causing many to miss out on the freedom, confidence, and joy that comes from getting outside, getting dirty and playing freely.
The findings commissioned by Dirt Is Good (Persil) reveal that nearly six in ten UK parents (58%) played freely outside regularly (more than three days a week) as children, compared to just one in three girls today (33%).
On average, UK parents say their daughter began losing interest in regularly playing freely outdoors at just eight years old, with nearly one in five disengaging between the ages of seven and eight, and one in ten girls never regularly playing outside at all.
Sport England has also identified a gender gap in outdoor activity, with girls 22% less likely than boys to be active outdoors outside of school.
Dirt Is Good has partnered with Arsenal Women’s Football Club on It Starts Outside, a campaign built around never-before-seen, nostalgic childhood photos of the squad to spotlight how early outdoor play shapes not just future athletes, but confident, inspired young women who learnt through play.
Parents want their daughters to experience those same benefits.
More than half of parents (54%) say their daughter would rather be inside than outside, even when given the opportunity to play outdoors, while 58% worry about a potential growing gender gap in children’s outdoor play which could impact how boys and girls engage, experience and benefit from confidently playing outdoors.
More than one in five girls also say they avoid outdoor play because they don’t like getting dirty, compared with 14% of boys.
Arsenal Women players including Mead, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly are reflecting on their own childhoods as part of the campaign, sharing nostalgic memories of playing freely outside long before organised training or competition.
Their stories highlight that a love of sport often begins away from the pitch.
Billie Graham, Women and Girls Football Development Coordinator at Arsenal in the Community, said: “We’re passionate about creating opportunities and access into football for women and young girls through safe spaces and fun environments for them to thrive.
"So many journeys begin with the hours spent getting out and playing freely, inspired by role models like Beth or any one of our women’s players.
"We hope to continue breaking down barriers for young girls stepping into the game for the first time.”