More girls playing football is hard-won progress – but there is still a long way to go | Baroness Campbell

We must give children a voice and a choice about sport; it’s the key to helping more children enjoy sport and physical activity

Sport teaches you so many important life skills and one of the most essential is resilience. My life has been dedicated to one simple mission – changing girls’ and women’s lives in sport and through sport. It has not been easy and there have been many setbacks, but the strength of my purpose has helped me to recover and continue the journey.

I started my professional career as a PE teacher in Manchester and later became chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust and chair of UK Sport, supporting our Olympic and Paralympic teams to achieve success at London 2012.