Fix the Kit: Because What Children Wear Shouldn’t Stop Them Playing

Written by David Taylor – Active Schools Officer

In the UK, 64% of girls stop playing sport before they turn 16. Even more shocking, a third of them drop out because of kit. At the same time, 56% of girls and 32% of boys say they want more choice in what they wear for PE.

When something as simple as clothing is pushing young people out of sport, we have a responsibility to fix it.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Fix the Kit event at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE and led by Sussex’s own Tess Howard MBE – a driving force for change in this space.

The room brought together national sport organisations, clothing designers, activists, and PE teachers. Each speaker shared powerful personal stories about why kit matters: the confidence it can give, the barriers it can remove, and the difference it makes when young people finally feel comfortable enough to take part. The impact of their work is already visible and growing.

Now, we have a real opportunity to remove this barrier for good. Tess has launched Inclusive Sportswear, a new organisation helping schools, clubs, brands, and governing bodies create kit policies and practices that genuinely include every young person.

This aligns perfectly with new government school uniform guidance, which asks schools to ensure PE kit is practical, comfortable, suitable for the activity, affordable, and — crucially — supportive of inclusion, participation and engagement. Offering pupils choice isn’t a luxury; it’s a requirement for helping them feel confident and able to take part.

School PE kits need to change. And right now, everything is in place to make that change happen. The need is clear, the guidance is there, and the tools are free, accessible, and ready to use.

Fix the kit and they’ll stay to play:
https://www.inclusivesportswear.com/

Be inspired: ASICS partnered with Inclusive Sportswear to create the Undropped Kit — a new PE kit concept designed to stop girls dropping out of sport:
https://youtu.be/m-Pt_Zt9tZk?si=lhFKnn1xHlPy_QDZ