Survey: Recreation Department seeks input on girls+ sports participation
Help the Piedmont Recreation Department expand
opportunities and participation in sports for girls+. We’re asking girls+ (or
their parents/caregivers) under 18 to complete a short survey about their
experiences and preferences with sports.
The short, 6-question survey asks girls+:
·
What sports they have played in the past year
·
What sports they’re most interested in playing
·
What would best help them start or increase
their involvement in sports
·
What difficulties they’ve faced playing sports
in the past
The survey is available at piedmont.ca.gov/GirlsSportsSurvey and will remain open through Friday, December 19.
Recreation Department staff will use survey
data to identify and prioritize new sports to incorporate into PRD and PMS
sports programming, and to identify ways that existing programming could be
made more attractive to girls in the Piedmont community.
Leveling the playing field through inspiring and empowering the next
generation of female athletes
Participation in sports builds skills that
support young people throughout their lives, teaching leadership, discipline,
and teamwork. Research has shown a direct link between participation in sports
and better educational opportunities, positive health outcomes, and improved
career outcomes. Closing the gender gap in participation helps ensure that
girls and boys both receive these benefits.
Across all competitive youth sports
programming at City facilities (including Recreation Department programs, PUSD
teams, and partner organizations using city fields), less than 35% of
participants are girls. On PMS sports teams, which are run by the Recreation
Department, girls made up only 27% of participants last year.
The Recreation Department – which has long
been committed to advancing gender equity in youth sports – works throughout
the year to create a culture where girls can see themselves reflected,
welcomed, and encouraged to participate in sports, with initiatives such as:
·
Hosting free sports demo events like Play Like
a Girl+ and Try (it) Out Tuesdays
·
Increasing the number of women in coaching
positions
·
Displaying the Title XI logo on Recreation
Department staff shirts – a visible signal that girls are always welcome
Building on these efforts, the Recreation Department
is now looking to move beyond encouraging girls to join teams that exist and
begin creating new opportunities based on the sports girls most want to play. In
Spring 2026, the Department will launch a futsal team for middle school girls –
developed in collaboration with a PMS student.
Results from this survey will be used to
identify future programming additions.
For questions about the girls+ sports survey,
contact Recreation Director Chelle Putzer at [email protected].