September’s longish read: NETBALLHer in Parliament

Changing systems, turning heads

The Well HQ are the absolute go-to people in the female health space. They go above and beyond to drive system change for women and girls. We are proud to be working in partnership with such fabulous women.”

~ Kelly Gordon, Director of Development, England Netball

At The Well HQ we’re working hand-in-hand with some national sport systems to drive home meaningful change, and better messages about female health.

It’s an especially apt time to reflect on our partnership with England Netball, which began with the ChangemakeHER pilot before launch of the NETBALLHer platform and a suite of custom CPD courses.

A fortnight ago, Kelly Gordon (as quoted above) was invited to present to the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee her insights on how to improve girls’ education around female body / health and the importance of cross sector working to change the system for women and girls.

Kelly’s appearance came after England Netball’s work was held up by government policymakers as a best-in-class example of what great looks like when sports bodies take women’s health seriously.

Obviously it’s hugely positive that the project is being recognised up top, but it’s the impact on-the-ground that’s most rewarding here. A whopping 97% of those who sampled the ChangemakeHER pilot, said they “learnt a lot”, while NETBALLHer website visitors are now well into six figures.

Since launch we’ve been inundated with positive feedback from netball players and youth players, parents, coaches and officials for the platform’s deep content, accessibility, actionable insights, and science-backed best-practice.

“Thank you Daisy for being so brave. I have just watched your video with my 13-year-old daughter (and) just knowing that others are going through similar things has really helped her.

Leading the charge and smashing through barriers – #NETBALLHer”

The fact is, girls and women everywhere are ready for this; have been for decades. Many men are ready for this – feedback makes that obvious too.

So we’re in awe of England Netball and the decision to step out to invest in and lead change where no real precedent exists.

When it comes to women’s health and sport, we too often see institutions play down problems or PR over the cracks – but England Netball went in deep. They’re living change for the long term and doing it to such a level that it’s literally being held up as the standard by Whitehall policy chiefs mapping similar such projects in other areas of sport and commerce.

It’s truly amazing, this. For The Well HQ, the NETBALLHer project represents a massive year and a huge team effort. It’s a valuable learning curve as we apply knowledge and practice at scale; and at the coalface where it counts.

We’ve more work in professional sport pending and are excited to engage more NGBs and institutions that are ready and raring to invest in real change. If this is something you want to explore at your company, club, institution or organisation please get in touch at hello@thewell-hq.com.

We’re going to be much better in keeping you all up-to-date on our ongoing projects (this email’s a start) but for now we’ll bow out by saying thank you again to England Netball – we’re proud to be on this journey with you.