Ely Triathlon club have managed to have a higher female to male ratio than other clubs, lets find out why:
When visiting Ely Triathlon Club to asses and award them their Trimark Bronze accreditation, we noticed that they had a lot of women attending that evening. It wasn't just a one off however, as the ladies of Ely Triathlon Club comprise 46% of the club. Typically our sport sees 30% female participation and a similar proportion within the membership of clubs.
When asked if Ely had made particular efforts to appeal to females, their chairman Peter Vasey replied:
"We don't do any direct female promotion, not at all, what we have invested is a lot of time and energy in to promoting a message of no casual sexism (or any casual-isms) and we have really promoted the club as a safe, enthusiastic and encouraging environment to be in. We ran a series of 'positivity' articles the year before last, many of which were based on physical and mental well-being and they were really well received.
"I think really that once you set the benchmark around that type of club, the momentum will eventually swing your way, but it needs consistency and a zero tolerance on comments and body/ability shaming.
"It has taken 3-4 years but the feeling in the club is fantastic now, we haven't lost any elites, but we have grown hugely in membership across a really wide spectrum of society. We even have strangers and other clubs come up and tell us how supportive we are when we go to events. Love it!"
Further Information
- Ely Triathlon Club
- Ely TC positivity article on Thea Brown
- Ely TC positivity article on Sandie Jardine
- Ely TC positivitiy article on Pete Vasey
- Ely TC positivity article on Richard Kay
- Ely TC positivity article on Anna Hay
- Ely TC positivity article on Chris Fulford
- Ely TC positivity article on Adam Wells
