West Wales Partners Unite to Empower More Women and Girls to Get Active
West Wales Sports Partnership, in partnership with the National Lottery and Sport Wales, has launched a bold new Innovation Fund for the sports sector.
This exciting initiative rethinks how sport and physical activity are offered across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. It promotes collaboration, creativity, and meaningful engagement with communities to help people get moving in ways that work for them.
“The Innovation Fund is not just about funding projects—it represents a new way of working, built on collaboration, co-creation, and shared learning,” said Jamie Rewbridge, CEO of the West Wales Sports Partnership. “Throughout this process, partners from across the region have come together to engage in meaningful discussions, test ideas, and develop solutions that truly reflect the needs of women and girls in West Wales.”
💡 What’s the Focus?
The first round of funding prioritises women and girls, especially those who face barriers to being active. The response has been inspiring: local councils, national governing bodies of sport, professional sports clubs, youth groups, and other organisations are teaming up — often for the first time — to bring new ideas to life.
Dr Sue Barnes, Chair of West Wales Sports Partnership, reflected that: “This is a huge milestone for West Wales, and the Sports Partnership. We were created to do things differently and to ensure that funding for sport and other forms of physical activity in the region delivers the best possible outcomes for our diverse communities. We know that being physically active has significant benefits physically and mentally – yet we also know that, for many, becoming physically active has challenges.
For our first Innovation Funding Round we chose to prioritise women and girls – as we know this is an area where participation is highly variable and many are missing out on the opportunity to improve their health and wellbeing. We challenged the sector to bring forward new ideas and to propose new ways of working together to ensure that, as a region, we can be greater than the sum of our parts.”
🏃♀️ Ideas into Action
Six innovative projects have been funded, involving over 35 partners who have worked closely with West Wales Sports Partnership. These projects are testing new approaches, focused on:
- Co-creation – Activities designed with and by the people they aim to support
- Community leadership – Empowering local voices and peer coaches
- Insight-driven change – Using real experiences to shape better opportunities
- Inclusivity – Creating welcoming, non-competitive spaces for all abilities
Dr Barnes added “As an independent panel, we had the privilege of hearing some truly excellent concepts—projects that demonstrated not only innovative thinking but also a strong commitment to working together in new ways.
The projects we have agreed to fund represent a spectrum – developing collaboration, building community led strategies and encouraging innovation at a grassroots level. We are incredibly grateful to Sport Wales, our primary funder, for trusting West Wales Sports Partnership at such an early stage in our journey to deliver upon the Innovation Fund.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in bringing this initiative to life. I, along with the Board, look forward to seeing these projects take shape in the coming months, making a real difference for women and girls across West Wales.”
🚀 The Projects
🔺 Hooked – Welsh Boxing, with Scarlets, Ospreys, and Colegau Cymru, will use boxing-inspired activity to engage underrepresented young women in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. Delivered in welcoming, non-traditional spaces, the project will be led by local ambassadors and promote confidence, connection, and cross-sport collaboration.
🔺 Tri Together: Your Time to Tri – Welsh Triathlon, with Beicio Cymru, Run Wales, and Carmarthenshire Council, will provide a triathlon-style offer (run, bike, swim) co-designed by women, for women. This inclusive, non-competitive approach creates a welcoming space for movement at every level and all abilities.
🔺 Equity in Action – FAW, with Wales Netball and Swansea Sport & Health Team, will working with young women and girls in a local mosque to co-create activity that fits their lives. Led by peer coaches from within the community, the project will build belonging, confidence, and leadership.
🔺 Peer Research – StreetGames, with national and local partners, will train young women as researchers to explore what helps or hinders participation. Their insights will inform national sports organisations to support the development exciting and new participation opportunities for women and girls.
🔺 Pembrokeshire Girls’ Insight – Sport Pembrokeshire and local partners will work across four towns to understand girls’ experiences of being active and their barriers. This insight will inform the development of more appropriate opportunities that will seek to increase the physical activity levels of girls in these areas.
🔺 Women and Girls Engagement Officer – A new regional role dedicated to connecting partners, sharing learning, collaborating resources and strengthening inclusive provision for women and girls across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
Each project is unique, but all share a commitment to making sport and physical activity more accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful.
🧠 Acknowledging Key Contributors
The success of this initiative has been strengthened by the invaluable contributions of our partners. We would like to acknowledge the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR) at Cardiff Met for their pivotal role in Workshops 1 and 2, particularly in guiding partners through the GAPPA framework and encouraging the adoption of systems thinking across the region. Their expertise has helped shape a more holistic and sustainable approach to physical activity.
We also extend our thanks to the Welsh Institute of Physical Activity, Health & Sport (WIPAHS), who are leading the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of this work. Their efforts will ensure that we capture meaningful insights, measure impact effectively, and continue to learn and improve as we move forward.
📈 A New Way Forward
This fund isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about creating a new way forward. Jamie Rewbridge concluded that, “This collective effort lays the foundation for a more connected, inclusive, and responsive approach to sport and physical activity in our communities. We look forward to learning and evolving alongside our partners as we bring these ambitious ideas to life.” By putting collaboration, community voices, and brave thinking at the centre, the Innovation Fund is helping shape a more active, equal future for West Wales.
And this is just the beginning.
📧 Want to learn more? Get in touch: [email protected]
English