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What was your hobby when you were little? Did you play football or floorball? Have you danced or done athletics? The chance of this happening is high. If a child grows up in Switzerland, there is a good chance that he or she will play sports. With one exception: if the child is a girl with a migration background.
This group of children in Switzerland plays sports by far the least. Statistics from the Federal Office for Sports from 2020 provide clear figures: 30 percent of all foreign girls aged 10 to 14 do not participate in sports at all. As girls get older, this value increases to 37 percent.
The phenomenon has been known for years. However, only a few sports associations have recognized the need for action. The Swiss Football Association, for example, has a project in the pipeline that is specifically aimed at this group of children. Among other things, a prize is planned for the club that can interest the most girls in sports. According to SFV spokesperson Adrian Arnold, the campaign will start next year.
Swiss badminton as a pioneer
Swiss Badminton, on the other hand, is three steps further. This winter, training sessions will take place for the third time that are specifically tailored to girls with a migrant background. “Supergirls play Badminton” is the name of the project. «We work with clubs from all over Switzerland. “Girls who have never held a badminton racket in their hands are coached by girls of the same age who are already at the club,” says Nicola Schneiter, who is responsible for the project at the association.
A training class exclusively for girls is slightly different, because girls and boys are different when it comes to sports. “Especially for the younger girls, the shared experience and fun is much more important than the competition,” says Schneiter. After nearly thirty events, not a single girl has asked for a ranking or winner, Schneiter says. Unlike boys, where winning is often at the top of the priority list.
Sports connects without words
So that every girl, regardless of language or origin, can participate, the lessons also work without oral instructions. The leaders demonstrate an exercise and the girls copy it. If something doesn’t work out right away, the girls help each other.
This concept was put to the test after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, says Nicola Schneiter: “None of the children spoke a word of German, none of the leaders spoke a word of Ukrainian. And the interpreter provided forgot the appointment. This showed that you can also understand each other without words.”
The association depends on support to reach potential young female athletes. “The regional associations receive flyers, which they then distribute in schools, asylum seeker centers, child exchanges or social services.” At the event itself it is very important to talk to the parents to build a bond.
High success rate
About one in three girls joins a regional badminton club after a Supergirls event. A remarkable rate. Of course it helps that Swiss Badminton gives the girls a racket to get started with and covers the contribution for the first year. But the project also has a long-term impact. Schneiter tells about a girl from Eritrea who spoke only a few words of English. “She has been at the club for two years now and speaks the widest range of Bernese German.” Integration as it appears in a picture book.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
