England Golf has signed the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport’s Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration.
Becoming the first golfing body in the UK to sign the declaration, it signifies England Golf’s commitment to equity for women and girls in sport.
The international treaty is a road map to support ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport, fully inclusive of women and girls.
England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson said:
"This is a truly momentous occasion.
"Having launched our ‘Respect in Golf’ movement last year, we reaffirm our focus on encouraging the participation of everyone and anyone in golf.
"Our passion and dedication to promoting golf as an all-inclusive sport is unwavering, as is supporting women and girls’ participation in every way possible.
"To become a signatory to the declaration is declaring our England Golf belief and commitment to inspire a culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport and physical activity."
Endorsing the declaration means that you commit to upholding the ten principles that enable women and girls to freely and safely participate, compete, and build careers in sport and physical activity.
Secretary General of the IWG, Lisa O’Keefe, said:
"It was brilliant to have England Golf sign the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, cementing their commitment to supporting women and girls participating in golf.
"Their ‘Respect in Golf’ framework aims to make golf more inclusive in England by creating cultural change with a focus on making women and girls feel welcomed and included.
"Their framework aligns with the principles of our internationally recognised Declaration, and they join the likes of the RFU, the LTA and the Montenegrin Olympic Committee as recent signatories of this treaty.
"We are looking forward to working with England Golf to further emphasise their push towards gender equality, with the intention of inspiring other governing bodies looking to make similar changes within their sport."
In 2014, the Brighton Declaration was updated by the IWG to become the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration.
This was to better reflect a changed landscape, including the major developments in international policy, while at the same time, still holding true to the founding principles.
England Golf have joined over 600 global organisations who have signed the treaty.
