A UNIVERSITY of Newcastle program targeting fathers as the key to improving their daughters' sports skills, physical activity levels and wellbeing will be rolled out across NSW.
UON and the state government launched their new partnership on Friday, which will see the Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered program delivered across NSW as part of the government's women in sport strategy, called Her Sport Her Way.
Government funding will pay for training for NSW Sports and Recreation staff to deliver the program, as well as to develop variants for major sporting organisations, starting with cricket.
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said research showed sporting activities helped girls develop physical and emotional confidence.
"This program encourages fathers and father figures to play a greater role in supporting their daughters to develop physical confidence as well as social and emotional skills, which build self-esteem," he said.
"We are investing in this program because it is achieving incredible results. It provides fathers with positive parenting strategies to empower girls to combat gender prejudice that can exist in many aspects of their lives."
The program includes nine 90 minute meetings, which each comprise a combined dad and daughter education session; split sessions that cover parenting strategies for dads and social and emotional skills for daughters; and a practical session where dads and daughters get active together.
Program founder Professor Phil Morgan said he was "thrilled" the government had invested in the world-first program, which has "such strong evidence behind it".
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