Why is our work important?
Girls and women in sport face unique challenges that often do not affect boys and men to the same extent. These challenges are compounded by a significant lack of female-specific research, as only about 10% of previous sports science studies have included exclusively female participants. This knowledge gap has resulted in existing structures and practices in sport being largely designed around male norms and conditions.
To ensure that girls and women have equal opportunities to participate, develop, and perform, sports research and practice must take into account their biological, psychological, and social characteristics – the biopsychosocial perspective. Without a targeted effort to fill this research gap, there is a risk of perpetuating a sporting culture and practice that fails to fully include, support, or develop female athletes.
What does FIDES work toward?
FIDES works for continuity and progress in developing equality in sport through research, collaboration, and knowledge dissemination. We recognize that athletes, coaches, club leaders, and parents are key actors in the sports ecosystem, and they are therefore central to our work. Our goal is to strengthen these groups with relevant, action-oriented knowledge that can lead to better decisions and more inclusive, equitable practices. We aim to inspire sports organizations to prioritize the health and well-being of girls and women and to promote safe and meaningful participation at all levels of sport.
How does FIDES work?
FIDES develops and conducts high-quality research projects that address challenges and needs specific to girls and women in sport. Our work aims to create safer, more inclusive, and more sustainable sports environments through initiatives that are developed, tested, evaluated, and implemented in close collaboration with the field of practice.
To ensure relevance and real impact, we use user-centred and design-based methods, integrating the perspectives of athletes and stakeholders throughout all phases of research. We work closely with coaches, leaders, organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that the knowledge we develop is effectively applied in practice.
Through targeted communication and active knowledge transfer, we aim to contribute to increased recruitment, higher participation, and improved development and performance conditions for girls and women in sport.
FIDES operates within two main pillars: (1) Grassroots sport and (2) Elite sport.
Within both pillars, we develop research projects based on a circular and co-creative model in which stakeholders across the sports sector (including organizations, regional associations, clubs, and athletes) actively participate in shaping the research and its content. This model ensures that research is grounded in practice and based on real needs and experiences from the sports field. We aim to address practical challenges in everyday sports life by developing, testing, and evaluating interventions—implementing those with positive effects in practice to improve competence, learning, and development among female athletes and their ecosystems (such as parents, coaches, teachers, and other organizational support personnel).
FIDES and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Sport as a driver of change
FIDES is committed to contributing to the global progress achieved by the United Nations Development Programme over the past decades. Through research-based efforts and practical initiatives, we advance sports science with a particular focus on girls and women to promote health, well-being, and equality in sport.
By facilitating safe and inclusive frameworks for participation, development, and performance among female athletes, FIDES directly contributes to three of the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-being
We aim to promote physical, mental, and social health and well-being among female athletes through research and initiatives.
Goal 5 – Gender Equality
We work toward structural changes in sport that give girls and women the same opportunities to participate, develop, and perform as boys and men.
Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities
We strive to reduce social and systemic disparities by empowering girls and women within the sports ecosystem.
Through co-creation, knowledge development, and dissemination, FIDES seeks to make sport a driver of social sustainability—an arena where everyone has the opportunity to succeed on their own terms.