Member Article

Children’s sports activity on the increase

Sport Wales has released findings from a study of physical activity participation rates among children, showing large-scale, welcome increases. Surveying 110,000 school pupils, this is the largest study of young people in the UK and is also thought to be the largest survey of its kind in the world.

The survey found that the number of children participating in sport or physical activity had risen from 27% in 2011 to 40% in 2013. Boys (44%) were still more likely than girls (36%) to regularly participate in physical activity. Conclusions drawn from the survey were that making physical activity enjoyable to young people was ‘key’ to boosting participation and schools were the most important environment for children to learn competence/confidence in their physical abilities.

Sports Xtra is a national franchise that does exactly that, offering activity classes of many different kinds to children both inside and outside of schools. It’s a company that takes the question of children’s health very seriously, also being a partner organisation of Sport Wales, so it was delighted by the latter’s survey findings.

Rob Oyston, Sports Xtra’s managing director, said: “This survey is hugely positive. It demonstrates the difference that has been made – and can be made – to child inactivity in this country. Working with our franchisees across the UK and fantastic organisations such as Sport Wales, our aim is not only to continue to increase the percentage of children participating in physical activity year-on-year – but that we inspire them to take this enjoyment into adulthood and pass it onto their children.”

The Sport Wales survey findings come shortly after headline-making data on the dangers of inactivity in children. Oyston comments: “Children’s health has hit the UK headlines again – this time due to new research showing that children who aren’t obese but are inactive may be just as prone to ill-health. This will no doubt encourage a tirade of ‘when i was a lad’-type comments blaming everything from X-boxes to parents to simple ‘bone-idleness’.

“At Sports Xtra we know that the reality is more complicated than that. Many children do not engage in physical activity because they lack confidence, traditional sports don’t appeal to them or they feel more secure in a classroom environment. We also know that when presented with our unique range of non-traditional physical activity – such as dance, futsal, ‘spy school’ and ‘adventure’ – and encouraged in the right way, the change in their attitude can be dramatic.

“We know that if we can get them engaged in physical activity before the age of 11 there is a strong likelihood that they will take that enthusiasm with them into adulthood. We know all of this because we see it every day in the businesses of our franchisees all over the UK. When it comes to the challenge of combating the ‘ticking time bomb’ of childhood obesity and inactivity, we believe we have the answer – and it’s working!”

Sports Xtra has passed the rigorous accreditation of the British Franchise Association and is an Associate Member of the bfa.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Stafford .