Developing Sport Policies for Female Athletes: From Agenda Setting to Evaluation

The field of sports policy has seen significant progress concerning female inclusion over the past few decades, driven largely by targeted campaigns and legislative support. While the increased presence of female athletes in sports reflects promising advances, there remains a crucial need for deliberate and strategic policy development. The evolution of these policies is essential not only for achieving gender equity but also for harnessing the full potential of sports as a platform for empowerment and social change. This Research Topic will explore the innovations and challenges in this dynamic area, aiming to highlight both successes and areas requiring further attention.

This Research Topic aims to consolidate and expand knowledge on the creation, implementation, and evaluation of sports policies for girls and women globally. Through compiling original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, this collection seeks to enrich the discussions at various governmental levels—local, state, national, and international. By focusing on the different stages of the political cycle and examining various dimensions of policy (policy content, policy process, and policy environment), this Research Topic intends to offer a comprehensive overview of the obstacles and progress in the field of sports policy concerning gender.

To gather further insights into the complexities of sports policy concerning girls and women, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Strategies for integrating female athletes into sports agendas
• Challenges and opportunities in formulating sports policies for female athletes
• Implementation hurdles and success stories related to sports policies for girls and women
• Effective methods for evaluating and assessing sports policies for girls and women
• Analysis of social sports projects, legislation, and official documents related to female athletes in sports

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: policy development, women athletes, female athlete, equity in sport

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.