Flip the script: The t-shirts trying to keep girls in sport

Newsroom

20 hours ago

From the US college system to the Tall Ferns, Tayla Dalton has learned how much sideline words – uplifting or harsh – continue to affect her.
The 23-year-old Kiwi basketballer, back home after four years playing at Saint Mary's College of California, says sideline support is 'everything', especially to young people in sport. 'And as females, we care a lot about what other people think of us – we're over-thinkers,' she says.
'So just knowing my family was there cheering me on, regardless of the score or how I played, when I was young gave me so much confidence. That unconditional support on the sideline allowed me to be a better version of myself.'
Although she grew up with supportive parents – her late mum, Silver Fern Tania Dalton, and her dad, national surf live saving and kayaking representative Duane Dalton – the young athlete in multiple sports saw other girls struggling with their confidence, some leaving sport altogether.
'When parents are on the sidelines screaming and trying to coach, I've seen their kids go into their shells. Often the kids just want to play and have fun with their friends,' Dalton says.
'People forget the weight that words carry. A lot of negative talk has a very detrimental effect on kids.'
The statistics are stark. By the time girls hit 14, they're dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys. By 17, young women spend nearly a third less time being active than their male peers, Sport New Zealand research revealed in 2022. And almost half of adolescent girls will walk away from organised sport – a loss of confidence, social pressures and self-doubt all playing a part.
As she readies for her first professional season at home in the Tauihi league, Dalton has become an advocate for the SupportHER Club – a 2degrees campaign supporting women and girls in sport. Its latest initiative, a limited-edition merchandise line, highlights the impact of sideline support.
The two slogans on SupportHER merch are for both kids and adults. Photo: supplied
Designed by sports psychologist Dom Vettise and illustrator Bonnie Brown, the clothing carries two simple, powerful messages: 'Play Brave' — for girls, printed in reverse so it reflects back in the mirror as a message of self-belief; and 'Play Like You' — for parents, coaches and whānau, reminding them the best support celebrates courage, effort and enjoyment over winning.
'Looking in the mirror – or in their selfies – and seeing 'Play Brave' the right way round is wicked,' says Dalton. 'Regardless of age, I'm learning from this campaign, too. My self-talk as a 23-year-old national player is still terrible – it's really something I have to work on.'
Vettise – who works with NZ Rugby, NZ Football and Canoe Racing NZ – describes the two phrases used in the campaign as 'wearable sports psychology'.
'Play Brave comes from the concept of courage. You have to have some sort of anxiety, stress or pressure in order to show courage and bravery. So this message makes it okay to feel a bit stressed or under pressure, and using courage propels you forward,' he says.
'And Play Like You is for the supporters to wear. So when a girl looks across to Mum and Dad and sees that message, it's saying, 'I accept you for who you are; I want you to go out and do your best, enjoy yourself and not judge yourself. I'm not here to judge you'.
'Hopefully these messages, and this wearable sports psychology, helps remind us of how we use our words and think about how they're delivered.'
The mirror effect: Girls can read the Play Brave message in their reflections. Photo: supplied
For teenager athletes, puberty and social pressures hit girls and boys in very different ways – which can shape how they experience sport.
'Boys experience puberty changes as a time of getting stronger, whereas girls typically become a little more subconscious in terms of their body image,' Vettise says. 'That's when we see a massive increase in perfectionism in girls: 'If I look perfect and behave in a perfect way, I'll be okay. I'll be accepted'. Belonging is such an important component to teenagers.
'That's why we see some of the dropout from sport, because there's not enough people supporting them, or we're still treating them like our boys want to be treated – where it's all about competitiveness and winning.'
It's not only the words girls hear when they're on the court or field that are important, Vetisse says, but also what's said before and after a game or a training. A father of three, he asks his nine-year-old daughter before she plays sport: 'What do you need from me? Do you want me to give you some instruction?'
'Some weeks she says, 'Yes please Dad', and others it's, 'No, I just want to play with my friends and have fun',' says Vetisse, who has a list of tips on to support young girls to play sport.
There are certain phrases that have helped lift Dalton's game. 'I've noticed this when I've played for the Tall Ferns and at college – 'Back yourself', 'You got this', 'Next play'. When you hear that from the sidelines you know those people believe in you and that helps you believe in yourself,' she says.
'One little mistake doesn't define your game, or reflect the hours of training you've put in. So those little words of encouragement – rather than technical feedback – that have been the biggest things for me.'
Emma-Kate Greer, chief customer officer at 2degrees. Photo: Supplied
Over the past few years, 2degrees has been supporting women in sport through its 'Fighting for Fair' philosophy – sponsoring Super Rugby Aupiki, the Tall Ferns and basketball's Girls Got Game programme, and the Tania Dalton Foundation.
Emma-Kate Greer, 2 degrees' chief customer officer, said through its sponsorships, the company saw a need to curb the rate of girls dropping out of sport at grassroots level.
'We realised if we really care about this – and we do – then we need to be starting early. It's not just about identifying the next Aupiki stars. It's about the social aspects, the confidence and the physical and mental health wellbeing that comes with sport,' Greer says.
Its goal is to see the merchandise reaching the wider community, while helping to make a shift in sideline culture.
Greer herself dropped out of sport at 15. 'I danced a bit and played football, but going pro was never on the cards for me. But when I look back, I would have loved to have continued playing sport. I was well into adulthood when I started playing for the touch team at work and got the benefits of that.'
Success of such an initiative isn't something easily measured. 'But success to us means more young girls and women staying in sport and getting all those benefits that flow through to the later stages of their lives,' says Greer.
'This is a long-running commitment from 2degrees and it's really important to us. Sport is a huge part of New Zealand culture, so it's a way we can put our resources to best use. And 100 percent of the money from merchandise sales goes directly into sport.'
Vettise is mindful this is a 'small ripple in the pond' to solve the much larger dilemma of how to keep girls in sport.
'There are still funding and structural issues that need to be addressed in sport, but an initiative like this will certainly plant the seeds, I think, in how people talk to each other,' he says. 'It could definitely change a relationship between a parent and a child.'
Play Brave and Play Like You merchandise can be purchased from the SupportHER Club website.