Dove x Nike: Our Body Confident Sport program

Our new research has uncovered that low body confidence is the #1 reason girls quit sports. As experts in building self-esteem, we've partnered with experts in sports, Nike, to create the Body Confident Sport program.

Introducing Body Confident Sport 

Body Confident Sport is a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based program that’s clinically validated to build girls' body confidence in sports. We developed the program over a three-year partnership with Nike, and world-renowned academic experts at the Centre for Appearance Research and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. It includes input from girls and coaches from six countries, including France, India, Japan, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S.

Body Confident Athletes

Building girls’ body confidence in sports starts with making sure girls have the support they need. Positive coaching can help with promoting positive body image in athletes, but coaches need the right tools and training to build confidence in girls. 

Within the Body Confident Sport program, we have Body Confident Athletes – an in-person program aimed at 11 to 17-year-old girls and delivered by sports coaches or physical education teachers in classes or after-school sports programs. The Body Confident Athletes sessions cover the following areas:

• Body talk in sports

• What our bodies experience in sports 

• Listening to our bodies in sports  

Coaches also have access to Body Confidence Coaches, an online training program to get body confidence training themselves. You can read more about the benefits of sports for girls here.

How to get started with Body Confident Athletes 

Body Confident Athletes is accessible for all at no cost – anyone with the URL can share the body confidence-building resources with a coach, and sessions can be delivered through a network of organizations in schools and sports clubs around the world, in groups of 10-20. 

The program can also be delivered by an adult with a trusted relationship with athletes within the organization. For consistency and to create a team atmosphere, the same coach or facilitator should lead all three sessions of the program where possible.  

Parents play an important role in building a positive body image for their child. Simply send the URL to your child’s coach via text, email or social media to get started on the journey. 

Reaching girls around the world

As part of Dove and Nike’s long-standing commitments to support women and girls, we’re aiming to reach girls all around the world with the Body Confident Sport program – to improve body confidence on and off the field.