Colman Noctor: Competition not the be all and end all for girls aiming to keep active

Children don’t necessarily need to experience physical activity as exercise for it to benefit them. Indeed, for some, the less we label it as exercise, the more likely they may be to do it.

Colman Noctor: When a girl decides she doesn’t particularly enjoy this competitive culture, we conclude that she “isn’t sporty”. Picture: iStock

Katie Taylor’s extraordinary farewell at Croke Park, the ongoing debate about integration within the GAA, and Sydney Sweeney’s controversial advertising campaign for a betting company have all been in the news of late, sparking conversations about women, sport, and the messages being sent to young girls.

In a recent conversation I had with a group of teenage girls, some spoke about elite performance, equal representation, and body politics. But, for many, their concerns were much simpler. They felt that girls who don’t enjoy competitive sport had few opportunities to be active together simply for fun.