Why summer can be 'era-defining' for women's sport

A summer of major sporting events can be "era-defining" and help drive change that would see more women and girls enjoying sport, senior figures say. England hosts the Rugby World Cup in August, with the Red Roses aiming tohave a similar impact as their footballing counterpartsin 2022. The Lionesses won the European Championship on home soil andboosted participation in girls football. "The World Cup is going to raise bar for women's rugby," said Sally Horrox, director of women's rugby at World Rugby, on a special Radio 5 Live programme,Names Will Be Made, to mark the BBC'sWomen's Summer of Sport. "I think it will be a really era-defining moment. "It will shift from being a niche sport to mainstream, that will make a tremendous difference for girls the world over." Sarina Wiegman's footballers, meanwhile, are preparing to defend their European crown in Switzerland. "It's incredible to think where the sport is now [after the success of 2022], and of course the Euros this summer gives us another chance to continue the growth of women's football in this country," said Kelly Simmons, former director of women's football at the Football Association. "When I first started at the FA, our first count was 80 girls and women's teams across the whole country, now over three million girls and women play the sport." Star athletes such as Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson will also be in action at the World Athletics Championships in September. British Olympic Association chair Dame Katherine Grainger told the programme that the summer of sport is a "unique opportunity to really make change" and to work on ways to remove some of the barriers facing women in sport. "In a year's time, if we were to meet, I would want us all to sit and go 'this is now different', said Grainger. "All these moments are a unique opportunities to really make change. Whether it's in law, or people's lives, or in attitudes, the doing something next is important. Not just hearing and agreeing but taking action." This video can not be played Names Will Be Made Cassie Patten won Olympic bronze in the 10km open water swim at the 2008 Games in Beijing Olympic swimmer Cassie Patten is 38 now, a mother of three, yet can still recall the anger she felt at a male coach's reaction to her being unable to train while on her period. The 2008 bronze medallist spoke of how one male coach "looked me in the eye and said 'I'm so disappointed in you'" when she was unable to train through period cramps. "I said 'you have no idea'." And it was a theme shared by many of her fellow guests, made up of famous names - and those just starting out on their elite sport journeys. Boxer Tia Miah-Ayton, 18, who recently won her first professional fight, said: "I can put on three kilos on my period and if I don't make my weight I can't fight." Having predominantly male coaches, with less understanding of a woman's body, was cited as one barrier not just to participation, but elite performance. However many felt, while more female coaches were needed, there had been improvements. British track cycling Olympic champion Sophie Capewell explained how an improvement in understanding had helped the women's squad to develop. "We aren't as consistent, periods have an impact, being able to talk has been huge," she said. "To have an open conversation, a few years ago it wouldn't have been the case." Dr Pippa Bennett, the UK Sports Institute's director of clinical governance and chief medical officer at the British Paralympic Association, said research on women's sport was "woefully lacking". Physiology expert Dr Emma O'Donnell called for better quality research into menstrual cycles and their effect on performance. "Despite 40 years of research, we are not any closer to the answer," she said. And other body issues faced by female athletes were discussed. Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, professor of biomechanics and head of a research group in breast health at the University of Plymouth, explained how the right sports bra and support could impact on performance. She said it can shorten a stride by 4cms - over marathon distance that equates to a mile. She said there was a "disappointing lack of research in this area" and referred to one study in which 46% of women questioned said they left sport because of issues related to their breasts. However she did say big brands were now investing in research in this area. Sports kit designed for men remains an issue too - though there have been similar improvements as sport grows more inclusive, guests said. Body image was also seen as a barrier to taking part in sport, with athletic figures going against societal beauty standards - something guests agreed could change with more prominent role models. "We have moved on, we are in a better place but there is still a lot of work to do," said Jenny Henderson, performance manager at England Golf. Another issue facing female athletes in particular is online abuse, with women 30% more likely to be subject to it, according to research cited by World Rugby's Horrox. Last week, some of England's Lionesses said they would be avoiding social media during this summer's tournament, while tennis player Katie Boulter hasshared some of the horrific abuse she has sufferedwith BBC Sport to highlight the problem. "Since my fight I've got quite a lot of haters, I just think about all the bad comments," Miah-Ayton said. Horrox said World Rugby was among the sports monitoring abuse against female players, which it would be doing at the World Cup - and seeking to prosecute those behind it. "You have to be free to compete without that threat," she said.