Beyond kit – addressing breast health in sport and physical activity
How closing a key knowledge gap can improve participation, comfort and confidence for women and girls
As women’s sport continues to grow, the need for education that supports female-specific health and performance is increasingly important. However, key areas – particularly breast health and sports bra support – have historically been overlooked in coach education and workforce development. Despite rising awareness of female athlete health, sports bra education remains largely absent from traditional coach development pathways, leaving many professionals without the confidence or tools to effectively support women and girls.
Research highlights the scale of the issue. According to research commissioned by Women in Sport, around 64% of girls drop out of sport by the age of 16, while 70% say they would be more likely to participate in PE if their kit was more comfortable. Further studies show that 74% of girls would enjoy PE more with improved kit, yet less than half report feeling comfortable in what they currently wear. With fewer than half of girls meeting recommended physical activity levels, the impact of something as simple as appropriate, supportive kit cannot be overlooked.
Addressing an overlooked barrier to participation
In response to this gap, sports bra experts boobydoo developed the Sports Bra Advocate Course, designed to equip professionals with the knowledge, confidence and practical skills needed to better support women and girls, and to help create more inclusive, informed and supportive environments.
The course was created following a significant rise in enquiries from professionals already working with women and girls – including PE teachers, coaches, physiotherapists and wellbeing leads – who recognised that sports bras could be a barrier to participation and performance but did not feel equipped to address the topic confidently. While workshops and fittings were providing direct support, it became clear that long-term cultural change required education to be embedded within organisations themselves. The course is therefore designed to build foundational knowledge and confidence, enabling professionals to lead informed conversations, signpost to credible resources, and better connect breast support to performance, comfort and participation.
Safeguarding is also a core component of the programme. Through a partnership with the Female Coaching Network, additional modules have been developed to support both female and male coaches in approaching conversations safely and professionally. This includes guidance on professional boundaries, appropriate language, and scenario-based learning to build confidence in real-world situations.
For organisations, investing in this type of education demonstrates a clear commitment to improving female athlete welfare. It enables teams to move beyond awareness and take practical steps to create more inclusive environments, supporting participation, confidence and performance.
Equipping professionals with the skills to support women and girls
Designed for professionals across education, sport, health and uniformed services, the self-paced course is worth five CIMSPA CPD points and focuses on real-world application. Learners gain practical resources and guidance to confidently approach conversations around breast health and improve participation, comfort and performance outcomes. The course has already seen strong uptake and feedback, with learners highlighting its relevance, clarity and immediate usability. Pumi Senaratne, Team Physician (England Women) at the England and Wales Cricket Board, said:
“I think the Sports Bra Advocate Course covers everything really well to be able to advise and start to have the right conversations with women and girls who participate in sport/physical activity and also encourage more women and girls to be active whilst wearing supportive and comfortable fitting sports bras. The course is well-thought-out and flows really well.”
Former England Red Roses international Shaunagh Brown also praised the course’s depth, structure and real-world value, noting:
“It’s clear a huge amount of care, expertise, and intention has gone into building something genuinely valuable. The structure is engaging, the storytelling is powerful, and the resources are incredibly practical.”
She highlighted the course’s inclusivity, practical resources and strong storytelling – particularly athlete interviews and real-world examples – as standout features.
Recognition through professional standards
The importance of this education has now been formally recognised, with boobydoo achieving the highest possible grading of “Enhancing” for quality of education from CIMSPA following its first full quality assurance review. This represents a significant milestone, aligning sports bra and breast health education to a recognised professional standard and reinforcing its relevance within workforce development.
Charly Rhodes, Director of Sports Brands at boobydoo, said:
Support women and progress your career
Boobydoo’s sports bra course is aligned with the professional standard for working with women and girls. This defines what sector professionals need to know to work effectively with women and girls in sport and physical activity settings, from physiological life stages to creating a positive environment.
By completing training aligned with the standard, you can not only expand your practice but also upgrade your professional status to Advanced Practitioner. This accreditation of your specialist skills supports you to gain recognition from employers and clients.
“I’m proud to share that we achieved the top grading of Enhancing for quality of education from CIMSPA. This was a labour of love for me, bringing together over a decade of sports bra fitting practice, work with national governing bodies, schools and elite athletes, and aligning it directly to the professional standard. Importantly, the feedback also recognised the value of a course specifically focused on supporting women and girls in this way.
“Achieving this grading is a significant moment for us. It provides external validation that the course delivers real value, equipping learners with meaningful knowledge to better support women and girls in sport. It also reflects the depth of expertise we’ve built over the past 20 years – combining research, evidence-based guidance, and hands-on experience from thousands of fittings and conversations. For us, it’s a marker that this is not just education – it’s education with real-world impact.”
As the sector continues to evolve, embedding education that addresses female-specific needs will be key to improving participation, experience and performance outcomes – ensuring professionals are equipped to better support women and girls at every level.
About boobydoo
boobydoo is a Derby-based specialist retailer and fitter of sports bras, providing expert breast health support for women in sport and physical activity. The business works with elite sports teams, schools, universities, the military and emergency services across the UK. The company is known for its personalised sports bra fitting service, education programmes and wide range of high-performance sports bra brands, helping women improve comfort, confidence and performance during physical activity.
This article and any promotion within it has been written by boobydoo, a CIMSPA Training Provider Partner.
The views expressed within this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CIMSPA.
