I’M a big fan of women and girls taking part in sports – any sports, really.

It’s good to see men and boys involved, too, but women and girls seem to face specific barriers (often, self-imposed) which prevent them from being active and really benefitting from sport.

That’s the thinking behind the current Sport England campaign This Girl Can which is meant to encourage females of all ages to take up a sport and tries to inform and help them to do it.

You might have seen the TV adverts. They show a large selection of females taking part in various sporting activities and enjoying themselves. My only criticism of these adverts is that, while they finish with the strapline This Girl Can, they don’t explain what it is or how to get involved. Perhaps that will come in further adverts but it’s an opportunity wasted.

The thinking is great, though, because sport can be a life-saver, literally and socially. It can keep people healthy, get them back to fitness after an illness or injury and provide a goal to motivate when we feel depressed or without a reason to go on.

It can also provide a social structure, offering genuine friendship from like-minded people who share your interest in a particular activity. Enjoying sport works irrespective of age. You don’t even need to spend anything to take part in sports like running or power-walking.

If I sound enthusiastic, I make no apology. I’ve played sports all my life – from netball at school to badminton and rounders in adult life. In fact, badminton has given me fabulous friends (I even met my husband on a badminton court) and taken me all over the country and to various places around the world.

A shared love of a sport is an international language that transcends language and cultural barriers. It absorbs the brain and hones the body.

Everyone can fit a sport or activity like the gym into their busy lives and parents who refuse to let children try out several sports to allow them to choose one or two to concentrate on are forcing them to miss out on enrichening experiences.

I know that girls often don’t like getting sweaty at sports because they’ve got an image to keep up to impress others but, quite often, once they try a sport they find the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a huge margin.