In March, we turn our attention to one of the most significant factors in a young athlete’s life: her body image. Sport has the power to build a girl's pride and sense of capability, yet for many, the everyday environment of competition can also trigger self-consciousness. This month’s anchoring message is a call to action for every family: Low body confidence is the #1 reason why girls leave sport (Body Confident Sport, 2023).
Why Your Voice Matters More Than You Think
While the coach leads the team on the sidelines, parents serve as the primary socializers for a child’s attitudes and behaviors in sport. Research indicates that the more a parent participates and shows support, the more likely their daughter is to love her sport and intend to play throughout high school and beyond (Tucker Center Research Report, 2018).
Crucially, girls consistently report feeling the most comfortable talking to their parents about sensitive topics like body image, menstruation, and bullying far more than they do with their coaches (Canadian Women & Sport, 2022). However, a significant gap exists: while girls want these conversations, less than 30% of parents feel they have the appropriate skills to talk to their child about these topics (Canadian Women & Sport, 2022). Closing this communication gap is essential to keeping her in the game.
Modeling Body Functionality
To build lasting confidence, parents can help their daughters move away from "outside-in" thinking - evaluating their bodies based on cultural standards of appearance - and move toward body functionality (Silva-Breen et al., 2022).
- Celebrate Capability: Shift the conversation at home to focus on what her body can do—her strength, speed, and motor skills rather than how she looks in her uniform (Silva-Breen et al., 2022).
- Avoid "Body Talk": Research shows that 1 in 2 girls who quit sports were criticized about their body type (Matheson et al., 2023). Parents can protect their daughters by ensuring weight and shape are never part of the feedback, as derogatory comments can increase vulnerability to disordered eating (NEDA, 2025).
- Acknowledge Pressures: Recognizing that 45% of women NCAA college athletes report attempting to lose weight highlights the systemic pressure girls face as they advance (NCAA, 2024). Your home should be a sanctuary that reinforces her value regardless of external standards.
Asking the Right Questions After the Game
The "ride home" is a powerful time to reinforce a mastery-based mindset that values her effort over performance. You can counter performance anxiety by asking questions that focus on her bravery and individual progress rather than the final score:
- Focus on Bravery: Instead of asking "Did you win?", try asking, "What was the bravest thing you tried/did today?" (Nike, 2020).
- Own the Achievement: When she acquires a new skill, use the phrase, "How did you do that?". This encourages her to take ownership of her physical accomplishments and the process it took to get there (Nolan et al., 2024).
- Reward the "Try" and Effort: Use a "try tally" to celebrate when she takes a risk, helping her bounce back from mistakes and rebuild resilience (Nike, 2020).Always comment on her effort, as that is something she can control.
Take the Journey: Complete Body Confident Coach Module 1
To truly support her journey, we invite you to explore the same tools her coaches are using this month. Body Confident Coaching: Introducing Body Image helps adults recognize the unique pressures girls navigate including puberty, social media, and uniforms, and provides a shared language to help girls feel safe and capable. By working together, we can ensure that sport remains a place where every girl can flourish and realize her full potential.
Be HER Reason to Stay in Sport
references
To see all our research on Body Confident Sport visit: https://www.coachingher.com/scholarlypublications
- Body Confident Sport. (2023). Low body confidence and dropout rates in adolescent girls.
- Body Confident Sport. (2023). The impact of body criticism on girls' sport participation.
- Canadian Women & Sport. (2024). Rally Report 2024: A call to reimagine sport so all girls can play.
- Matheson, E. L., et al. (2023). Global perspectives on objectification and body image in youth sport.
- National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). (2025). Coach & athletic trainer toolkit.
- NCAA. (2024). Student-athlete well-being study: Weight perception and weight loss attempts among college athletes.
- Nike. (2020). Coaching girls guide: How to get (and keep) girls playing.
- Schneider, J., Matheson, E. L., Tinoco, A., Gentili, C., White, P., Boucher, C., Silva-Breen, H., Goorevich, A., Diedrichs, P. C., & LaVoi, N. M. (2023). Body Confident Coaching: A pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating the acceptability of a web-based body image intervention for coaches of adolescent girls. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.
- The 2018 Tucker Center Research Report. Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN: Author.
- Women’s Sports Foundation. (2019). Coaching through a gender lens: Maximizing girls’ play and potential. New York, NY: Women’s Sports Foundation.
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