SupportHER Club

Sport. It’s more than just a game. It builds confidence, resilience, lifelong skills and friendships. What you learn on the court or pitch stays with you throughout your life. That’s why it’s so important that women and girls continue to play, and stay involved in sport at all levels.

While New Zealand has a proud history of female sporting success, we know that the playing field for women’s sport is not always fair.  Women’s sport gets less media coverage, less funding, less resources, and at younger levels girls are twice as likely to drop out of sport. That’s why we’ve created the SupportHER Club as part of our commitment to Fighting for Fair for women and girls in sport at every level. Because sport is worth it and so is she.

The SupportHER Club provides information on 2degrees’ sponsorships and partnerships with women’s sports teams and organisations, as well as resources for parents, coaches and other supporters. There are many other fantastic initiatives going on across clubs, schools, and sporting bodies nationwide to get girls playing, keep them in the game, and grow women’s sport at amateur and professional levels. Learn more about how you can be a SupportHER.

Image of a girl playing rugby

Helping young girls stay in sport:
Dom Vettise’s top tips

At 2degrees, we believe in keeping young girls in the game—because sport builds confidence, resilience, and friendships that last a lifetime. We reached out to clinical and performance psychologist Dom Vettise for his top tips on how to support young girls to stay active and feel empowered in sport.

Dom Vettise is a respected clinical and performance psychologist in NZ, specialising in high-performance athletes and sports organisations. His approach emphasises building mental resilience and connection through personal identity and values, enhancing performance. Dom is involved in mental health and wellbeing strategies for NZ Rugby, NZ Football, and Canoe Racing NZ. He has a personal commitment to supporting girls in sports, aligning with his values as a father of two daughters.
Dom Vertisse Clinical Psychologist
Dom Vettise
Clinical Psychologist

Tip #1

Find her tribe—sport is more fun with friends

Girls who enjoy being around their teammates are more likely to stick with their sport. So choose a team where they feel supported, and invite friends to join.

Image of a girls basketball team lined up in front of their coach
Image of woman playing rugby

Tip #2

Reframe setbacks as growth opportunities

Even top athletes make tonnes of mistakes, but the key to success is to learn from them instead of giving up.

Tip #3

Strong is powerful

Our bodies are designed to move, grow, and get stronger. Sport isn’t about looking a certain way—it’s about what your body can do.

Image of a girl dribbling a basketball
Photo of a woman playing rugby who has just finished kicking the ball

Tip #4

Let courage propel her forward

Fear of judgement shouldn’t stop young girls from playing, and instead choose to embrace courage. It is about helping to reduce fear, not get rid of it. 

Tip #5

Girls thrive on variety

Girls stay in sport longer when they play multiple sports as opposed to specialising in one. Variety keeps things fresh and builds better overall motor and psychological skills.

Photo of a basketball coach showing a girl how to dribble the basketball
Photo of a Woman coaching a girls basketball team

Mentorship and community

We took our support for the Girls Got Game Programme to the next level by launching the 2degrees Summer of Basketball in 2024. With this initiative we reached an additional 5,000 schoolgirls across New Zealand, helping them to discover the fun and excitement of the game.

We were also thrilled to surprise an Auckland High School girls’ basketball team with an unforgettable visit from one of their sporting idols – 2degrees Tall Fern, Charlisse Leger-Walker. Charlisse spent the afternoon taking the team through drills, sharing tips, and running a Q&A session, offering invaluable insights into her journey as a professional athlete.

Evening the playing field

In 2023, we hosted the Womentorship Programme, inviting 182 schoolgirls to spend a day at their local Super Rugby Aupiki club. They had the incredible opportunity to learn tips and tricks from their rugby idols—because you can't be what you can't see.

In 2024, we set out to make the Super Rugby Aupiki final more accessible to Kiwis and offer a fresh perspective on the game. So, in a world-first, we became the first to broadcast a sports final live on TikTok.

Action shot of the Woman's Hurricanes vs Highlanders game