Secondary pupils from Scotland and the UAE are being challenged to design digital solutions that could inspire more girls and women into football and promote healthier lifestyles.

Fresh from a summer of record-breaking attendances at the Women’s Euro’s, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) has teamed up with the Scottish Women’s football team for this year’s DigiInventors Challenge.

The global innovation challenge aims to maintain the momentum of the women’s game, with the hope that pupils will bring fresh ideas that combine a passion for sport with the power of technology.

As part of the brief, Scottish Women’s Football is calling for digital solutions that can challenge stereotypes of women in sport, as well as help educate and inform young women and girls about the importance of leading healthy lifestyles, both physically and mentally. 

This year’s participants will undertake a new programme of classroom teaching, access to a range of digital resources and, if shortlisted, take part in a two-day entrepreneurial bootcamp featuring business mentors and leading entrepreneurs. 

The finalists will then pitch their ideas to expert judges in a live-streamed final in December, with the winning teams taking home top tech prizes and national recognition.

“Sport and exercise generally have the power to transform communities and play a massive role in improving people’s physical and mental wellbeing,” said Grant Reilly, DigiInventors project lead at DHI.

“We want to tap into the excitement around women’s football and use it to spark digital ideas that can break barriers and make the game more inclusive.”

A recent study from the Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Advisory Board found that female participation in football is at an all-time high, and there is a national strategic aim to increase the total number of registered female players to 25,000 by the end of 2025. 

The report emphasises the importance of media and digital assets in normalising women’s football, which can directly influence participation levels, but there is evidence that negative aspects, such as social media abuse, can have a detrimental impact on mental health and the willingness of women and girls to participate.

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“As well as growing the game across Scotland and providing girls and women at all ages and stages with the opportunity to play football, it is also key that we educate and inform as best we can to ensure our players are physically and mentally healthy,” said Vivienne MacLaren, chair of Scottish Women’s Football. 

“Being able to be part of DigiInventors and combine raising awareness of our game with digital technology is a perfect partnership, and we very much look forward to the ideas that the young people will have. 

Since its creation in 2017, DigiInventors has resulted in the foundation of a parallel competition running across the UAE. Now in its ninth year, the competition has engaged nearly 2,700 young people.

Previous winners include a team from Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, with a smart hockey stick designed to promote healthy, active lifestyles while enhancing performance on the hockey field.

Another team from South Ayrshire became champions in 2023 with an idea for an app that supports daily tasks and mindfulness activities, improving mental health and wellbeing through stress relief and self-esteem building.