This Girl Can Week at the University of Exeter

This Girl Can is a national campaign developed by Sport England and a wide range of partnership organisations. It promotes positive body image and a healthy attitude towards exercise by encouraging women to get stuck in, try something new and feel great about themselves. The Sports Office, including the Athletic Union, were proud to support the campaign and to celebrate active women within the University community.

The week of events kicked off with Mo-Sista, a charity event that allowed female students to get involved in Movember. The multi-sport tournament was all about fun, friendship and teamwork, and many students tried new sports and met new people at the same time.

Throughout the week, a whole host of activities were on offer at the Sports Park, including fitness classes like Zumba and Pilates, alongside sports which women are sometimes less able to access, such as boxing and touch rugby.

#Thisgirlcan is also a popular movement on social media, and it was great to see Exeter’s sportswomen sharing pictures of themselves and their teams playing sport and keeping fit. The week concluded with a women’s self-defence course led by Defensive Arts, based on conflict avoidance and escape techniques, to help build women’s confidence in their physical abilities.

AU President Jack Bristow commented that, “It has been wonderful to see so many women and girls trying new sports and activities this week. At Exeter, we believe that sport should be accessible to all, and we will continue to provide a supportive environment for everyone to join in.”