A SUMMIT has delivered a motivational call for girls and young sportswomen in the south.

‘The Powerhouse Pupil: School Sport Summit 2024’ was attended by over 300 young women from schools across the south and west of England, including in Dorset and Hampshire.

The pupils heard a series of eye-opening presentations and took part in inspirational masterclasses led by top figures from the world of sport.

Organised in partnership with Bryanston School in Blandford Forum, the summit aimed to help girls and young women take full advantage of new opportunities for women in sport.

The Powerhouse Project was founded by twin sisters Mollie and Rosie Kmita, both of whom have become respected sports broadcasters following successful professional football careers.

However, Rosie pointed out that two-thirds of girls at school will quit sport during puberty due to social pressures, gender stereotypes, body confidence issues and a lack of self-belief.

She said: “We want to change that statistic and ensure the girls of today are truly empowered and have absolutely every opportunity to develop the skills, inner strength and leadership qualities to succeed in the wonderful world of sport.

“We’re delighted that our partnership with Bryanston has enabled us to reach out to so many young sportswomen from schools all over the region.

"Seeing their enthusiastic participation in the various sessions at the Summit is really encouraging and bodes well for their own futures as well as the wider sporting community.”

Mollie and Rosie have also recently joined Phil de Glanville, Abbie Brown and Kumar Sangakkara on Bryanston’s Sports Advisory Board that supports the school’s ‘sport for all’ ethos and ‘performance pathways’.

The sisters help senior staff and coaches to identify, develop and prepare pupils for a career in high-performance sport.

Other speakers at Sport Summit hosted by Bryanston included Ivi Casagrande, Edel McCann and Kylee Parsons.

A former professional footballer who is now a high-performance coach and sports scientist, Casagrande has worked at a national and regional levels in the United States, Brazil and the UK and Ireland.

She highlighted the importance of having a clear focus and the resilience and determination to reach one’s goals.