Today is the 25th Birthday of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF). To celebrate, we are launching a new report - Celebrating Silver, Going for Gold - which provides an overview of a quarter century of records from women’s sport.

As well as being a good excuse to look back at some outstanding achievements, this milestone in our life as a campaigning charity also provides an apt moment to pause, and consider what more needs to be done.

When WSFF was born, in 1984, women were not invited to compete in the marathon, the 5,000 metres, the triple jump, the pole vault, the hammer throw, the steeplechase, or boxing at the Olympic Games.

There was no women's Tour de France. No women's football World Cup. Britain had never hosted an international women's rugby game.

A female face had never presented Grandstand or offered commentary on Match of the Day. There were no women at the top of Premier League football clubs (or the First Division, as it was then). No female football referees. No female football agents. The Royal and Ancient had never allowed women onto its course or into its locker rooms. Women were not allowed into the MCC. No women sat on the Board of the English Cricket Board. A woman had never been named in Wisden's top cricketers of the year.

Back then, women were not able to play professionally in any team sport. And if you were the winning woman at Wimbledon, you received less prize money than the winning man.

These are just some of the things that have changed in the last 25 years. And some of it more recently than many might think – you’ll have to take a look at our birthday report Celebrating Silver, Going for Gold to find out when these "firsts" took place.

Also, 25 years ago we had not witnessed the amazing successes of our brilliant female athletes and sports stars – starting with Tessa Sanderson and Jayne Torvill in 1984 some of the amazing women we have enjoyed watching since then include Laura Davies, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Liz McColgan, Sally Gunnell, Denise Lewis, Shirley Robertson, Paula Radcliffe, Dame Kelly Holmes, Gail Emms, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Kelly Smith, Claire Taylor, Chrissie Wellington, Nicole Cooke, Victoria Pendleton, Christine Ohuruogu, Rebecca Adlington, Ellie Simmonds, Sarah Storey and Jessica Ennis.

Amazing women, and amazing achievements, one and all. 

Of all of these women, the one that the British public think is the stand out star of the last 25 years is Kelly Holmes (pictured), and for many of those we interviewed for our report, her wide-eyed amazement at her own success has stuck out as the most iconic female sporting moment of the last quarter century.

Since then, Kelly has worked tirelessly to use her profile to encourage more girls to get into sport, and to raise the profile of women’s sport in the UK. A fitting winner. Congratulations, Kelly. So, much has changed in the British sports sector. And women's sport has produced some amazing athletes and sporting moments. Is there much left to do?

Well, today only five per cent of all sports media coverage is devoted to women's sport; women's sport receives a fraction of the financial investment; and only one in five sports leaders are women – there are still no women represented on the governing bodies of the Football Association or British Cycling to name just two. We also still need to persuade Amir Khan that boxing is not a sport that should be left to men. And help Michael Stich understand that female tennis players are not just there to sell sex.

Some of these challenges are easily fixable - appointing women onto sports Boards or opening up the membership of sports clubs is not difficult to do if the current decision-makers were willing. Even changing less progressive minds about the validity and value of women’s sport is do-able with some persistent persuasion.
But growing the profile and revenue for British women’s sport from its currently low base is a much bigger and tougher challenge. And without the profile, the money won't come in. And without the role models, girls won’t get the sports bug and grow up dreaming of being a sports star as so many boys do.

However, conditions are ripe for further change. With 2012 fast approaching and an obesity crisis looming, British sport has never before been so much in the limelight. And women's sport at the moment is on fire - from grassroots football to elite success.

We at the WSFF are fighting fit and punching way above our weight. When the Prime Minister re-launched the charity with the extra "F" in 2007, we knew we could attract powerful backing. Since then, we have enjoyed fantastic support from some of the most senior men and women from British sport and beyond, including athletes, administrators and those in the commercial side of sport. Some of them are represented on our Commission on the Future of Women's Sport, launched in 2008 with a remit to unlock the potential of British women’s sport.

It's key interests are leadership, media profile and investment. We have set ourselves some far-reaching targets for 2015: 25 per cent of sports media coverage to be devoted to women’s sport, 30 per cent female Board representation, and double the amount of private sector investment.

Please do keep in touch with the Commission through our website and help carry its work out to the world. We might be perfectly formed, but we are a small charity, so rely entirely on the help of our supporters to ensure we achieve our goals. So, gather round to blow the candles out on the cake and then let's get back to work making even more strides forward for British women's sport.

Cheers!

Sue Tibballs is the chief executive of the WSFF. She began her career at the Women's Environmental Network in 1992, founded the Women's Communication Centre think tank, before joining The Body Shop as campaigns manager.