THE Joint Angling Governing  Bodies (JAGB), supported by Sport England and the Environment Agency, is holding a one-day conference on Saturday 19th March at the Sport England National Watersports Centre in Nottingham to answer the question: ‘How do we get more women and girls into angling?’

Chaired by well-known fly-fisher Anne Champion, the purpose of this conference is to give the attendees an informative overview of how sports such as Rugby League, perhaps the bastion of male dominance, have allowed women and girls to successfully join their ranks.

The conference will include workshops to explore how fishing can benefit from the experience of these other sports. How can we encourage more women to take up angling? What part can each of us, our clubs and our angling organisations play in achieving this?

Keynote speakers include Vanessa Brown of the Women’s Sports Foundation who will explore ‘What stops more women coming into sport’; Jackie Sheldon (1st4Sport) ‘Breaking the Barriers: aperspective from Rugby League’ and Lynda Lythgoe who will look at ‘Role Models in Angling’.

Maggie Petch of the National Federation of Anglers will give a conclusion.

Malcolm Hanson, Development Officer for the Salmon & Trout Association said: “Many women have expressed an interest in going fishing yet only 5% of all participants are female. The issues are by no means unique to angling and we believe that, by examining how other sports and activities have overcome this problem, we can create an effective template of our own.”