Dame Caroline Dinenage, MP and chair of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee, has warned that young girls in England face far too many obstacles when trying to take part in sport. In response, she has urged the government to scrap the long‑standing 3 p.m. television blackout that prevents live broadcasts of women’s football matches on Saturday afternoons. The CMS Committee, which scrutinises government policy, spending and administration, recently published a comprehensive "Game On" report that paints a mixed picture of how well community and school sport are meeting the needs of the English population.
While the report contains a host of practical recommendations aimed at boosting participation across all ages, it highlights a particularly acute set of challenges for school‑age girls. One of the key proposals put forward by the committee is the removal of the 3 p.m.
Saturday broadcast restriction for women’s football. Evidence gathered during the committee’s inquiry shows that when girls can watch women’s sport on television they are more likely to feel inspired, motivated and confident enough to become active themselves.
The current legislation, which dates back half a century, bans any live broadcast of football matches that kick off at 3 p.m. on a Saturday, regardless of gender. By lifting this rule, the committee argues that free‑to‑air channels could showcase women’s games during a prime viewing window, providing role models for young viewers and normalising female participation in football.
In addition to the broadcast issue, the committee is calling on the government to pass legislation that would require local councils and housing associations to take down "No Ball Games" signs that often appear on public open spaces and residential estates. Such signs effectively criminalise informal play and restrict children’s ability to use community areas for sport. Removing them would reclaim valuable public space for active recreation and send a clear message that sport is welcome for everyone, regardless of age, gender or ability. Speaking to Sky Sports about the breadth of the report, Dame Caroline outlined the broader context: "We know that people in our nation love sport, yet there are simply too many barriers that stop them from getting up and trying it themselves.
Whether those barriers exist in schools, clubs or community settings, they disproportionately affect girls, especially after they reach puberty. Many young women start to drop out of school sport, and in some cases miss school entirely on days when sport activities are scheduled." She continued, "Our recommendations range from technical reforms, such as removing the 3 p.m.
blackout for women’s football, to more fundamental changes in how physical education is delivered in schools. The blackout, which currently runs from about 2:45 p.m.
to 5:15 p.m. on Saturdays, should be repurposed to broadcast women’s matches on free‑to‑air television. This idea was first suggested in the Karen Carney review, and the Football Association has acknowledged the potential benefits of giving the women's game a regular, high‑profile broadcast slot." Beyond the television issue, the report urges schools to adopt a more inclusive PE curriculum that prioritises enjoyment, comfort and a welcoming atmosphere.
It recommends that every pupil in England should be guaranteed at least two hours of high‑quality physical education each week, with the aim that each child gets at least one hour of physical activity every day. To achieve this, teachers need better training in delivering inclusive PE, and school uniform and kit policies should be re‑examined to ensure they promote comfort, dignity and inclusivity—especially for girls and children with special educational needs (SEND). Dame Caroline also pressed the government to commit to stable, long‑term funding for both school and community sport programmes.
She highlighted that investment in sport yields social and economic returns, including reduced pressure on health and welfare budgets. The report points out that the United Kingdom currently lags behind many European neighbours in terms of sport spending.
It recommends that the share of total government expenditure devoted to sport and recreation be increased from the current 0.3 % to at least 0.6 % over the next decade. In monetary terms, this would double the existing £3.8 billion allocation to roughly £7.6 billion, providing the resources needed to improve facilities, expand participation programmes and develop a cross‑government strategy for a healthier nation.
The committee’s recommendations also call for a national cross‑sector strategy that brings together health, education and sport bodies to deliver coordinated action. By aligning policies, the government could create a more coherent approach to tackling inactivity, obesity and mental‑health challenges among young people. The report stresses that a healthier, more active population would generate long‑term savings for the National Health Service and other public services.
In summary, the CMS Select Committee’s "Game On" report makes a compelling case for removing outdated restrictions, such as the 3 p.m. Saturday blackout on women’s football, and for investing in inclusive, well‑funded sport provision at school and community levels.
By doing so, the UK can inspire a new generation of girls to see sport as an accessible, enjoyable and rewarding part of everyday life, ultimately breaking down the barriers that have kept many young women on the sidelines for far too long.