NFP funding helps power breakthrough female athlete health education programme

A pioneering female athlete health education programme funded by NFP is helping to close long-standing knowledge gaps, build confidence, and create safer, more supportive environments for netball athletes across the UK.

Delivered through the NPA Athlete Wellbeing Programme, the initiative has already reached more than 80 athletes across Netball Superleague and NXT Gen clubs, with workshops delivered to seven clubs and further sessions planned in season 2027. The programme focuses on four key areas of female athlete health: menstrual health, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS), breast health and pelvic health.

Each workshop is tailored to the needs of the club, with pre-planning consultations ensuring the content is relevant, practical and responsive to the questions athletes want answered. The sessions combine evidence-based education with open discussion, helping athletes feel more informed, more supported and more confident in managing their health.

Early results show the programme is making a measurable difference. Across pre- and post-workshop assessments, athletes reported an average confidence increase of 3.0 points on a 10-point scale, with the biggest gains seen in areas that had previously received limited attention. Confidence in REDS increased by 131%, breast health by 126% and pelvic health by 127%, underlining the scale of the knowledge gap and the value of targeted education.

Athletes also highlighted the practical value of the sessions in their feedback. Many said the workshops introduced them to topics they had never formally explored before, while others noted the importance of learning how female health issues can affect training, performance and wellbeing. Common themes included fatigue, cramping, mood changes, bloating and pelvic pain, reinforcing the need for more open conversation and better support across the sport.

To build on the workshop programme and extend learning beyond the club environment, the NPA also produced a members’ podcast with Dr Helen Kini and Geva Mentor CBE. The episode took a deeper dive into some of the key female health topics and extended the conversation to fertility, giving members another accessible way to engage with the subject and continue learning in their own time.

The programme has also revealed strong appetite for further education. Athletes have requested follow-up sessions on topics such as fertility, contraception, advanced REDS education, menstrual cycle optimisation, nutrition and pelvic health. That demand suggests the initiative is not only meeting an immediate need, but also creating a platform for longer-term culture change and future programme development.

For NFP, the partnership is helping to deliver tangible impact where it matters most; directly supporting athlete health, confidence and performance. By funding education that responds to real athlete needs, NFP is playing a meaningful role in advancing welfare and wellbeing in elite and development netball environments.

As the programme continues, the focus will remain on building on this strong foundation, expanding reach, and ensuring more athletes have access to trusted, relevant health information. The early outcomes show that when female athlete health is prioritised, the benefits are felt not only by players, but across teams, clubs and the wider sporting system.