Leaders Like Us: Landscape of Physical Activity Leadership Programmes for underserved young women in England

Background: Despite growing advocacy for youth-led and inclusive physical activity provision, there remains limited evidence on how to effectively support underserved young women aged (16 – 25) and those from minoritised genders into Physical Activity leadership roles. Methods: This paper aimed to map the landscape of Physical activity leaders’ programmes and understand how programmes (1) identify, recruit, and (2) support underserved groups of young women, examine (3) intended outcomes and gather (4) practitioner recommendations for future programme development. This was achieved through the implementation of two-phase sequential methodology involving (1), systematic mapping of 53 existing programmes, and (2) seven focus groups with 41 practitioners, Finding: Systematic mapping findings highlight that a limited numbers of programmes are specifically tailored to underserved women, and that most initiatives operate within school-based or sport-centric models, lacking flexibility, intersectional understanding, and community embeddedness. Analysis of qualitative systematic mapping data established an understanding of existing mechanisms for identifying and recruiting young females in Physical Activity leaders’ programmes and outlined support mechanisms, learning outcomes, and key recommendations. Thematic analysis of focus group data revealed key barriers and enablers to engaging underserved young women, including issues of visibility, relatability, and resource equity. Programmes that centred relational support, mentorship, and community relevance showed stronger engagement and perceived impact. Conclusion: Leadership programmes for underserved young women remain underdeveloped and inconsistently delivered. Strengthening community and contextual relevance, adopting inclusive recruitment practices, and shifting from instrumental to relational models of leadership are key for fostering equity.