Girls At Bat is an introductory level baseball program designed to reduce some of the biggest barriers anyone identifying* as a girl may face when accessing or participating in sport. Some of these barriers include, but are not limited to, sport being too competitive, having a perceived lack of skill, limited access to opportunity, and low confidence. Girls At Bat works to remove these barriers by creating spaces that empower and centre the leadership and voices of girls and provide opportunities for them to learn and play sport amongst a resilient and inclusive community. The program changes the game for girls by focusing on four key pillars: connection, courage, leadership, and love of sport. The program is implemented by schools and community organizations with the goal of increasing participation and retention in sport and play.

*NOTE: Any reference to girls and women in this section should be read as self-identified or parent-identified gender, not assigned biological sex.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT:

• 1 in 4 girls is not committed to returning to their pre-pandemic sport participation levels (Canadian Women & Sport, 2021).
• 1 in 3 girls report a poor perception of belonging as a factor for dropping out of sport (Canadian Women and Sport, 2020) .
• By the age of 14, girls are 2x more likely to drop out of sport (Women’s Sports Foundation’s Go out and Play: Youth Sports in America report).