Friday 5 November 2010

How To Find A Suitable Place To Play Sports

One of the most difficult things for a female who is active and enjoys playing community sport is finding a place that meets your needs and expectations. This even more relevant within inner city areas like East London. Although some sports are more female friendly than others in general it is still a male dominated field. If you are seeking a place to play your favourite sport it can be particularly daunting when you have been a way from the sport for a long time. However, the most common barrier women and girls are faced with is the lack of regard for their provision, organisation and opportunities in sports. Thus if you are a woman or a young girl looking for somewhere to play regularly there a few signs you need to look out for and questions you need ask yourself to ensure that the environment is for you.


1. Safety & Security


Safety must always be your first concern. Facilities are required by law to provide safety for people. However in instances like returning from a training session late in the evening where the risks are higher for women and girls are still a possibility. Sport organisers are often very helpful when it comes to this so if you have any concerns by all means raise them. You have a right to feel safe. 


2. First Impressions

Consider your first impressions when you arrive to the facility. Is the person in charge present? When it is visible that an individual is in charge you can have some confidence that the activity is going ahead. Is the area of play set up accordingly and prior to your arrival? An area that is laid out shows that there is a preparation. Equally, you need to bare in mind that it may not have been set up by the time you arrive because the facility is occupied by another activity, sport, group or individual. Has the information provided to you prior to your arrival been useful/adequate? If the information given to you has been descriptive and beneficial it is a good sign that there are good procedures in place. It is helpful that you arrive to the sessions, classes, programmes or whatever activity you wanted to take part in with a clear idea of what you are letting yourself in for.

3. Do You Feel Welcomed?

Assuming you want to get the best out of yourself when you attend sports sessions you need to feel welcomed. Your enjoyment of your chosen sport is linked with enjoyment. Now this may not happen on the first day or even in the next coming classes. So do not give up straight away. It could take time before you feel 100% comfortable in your surroundings. This is because you are amongst strangers and getting used to the whole set up. Chances are that your counterparts are feeling exactly the same as you do. Relationships with strangers take time to build. Nevertheless, once you have settled in you could end up making some really good friends because of your shared interests.

4. Organisation

The overall organisation of the provision should be at a good standard. This involves that the turn out number is reliable and adequate. This is more significant if you want to play team sports/activities. Additionally, training should consistently begin and finish on time. In relation to consistency it is important that the Coach/Personal Trainer/Activity Leader is the same professional delivering the activities. Regularly organised competitions or participation shows a commitment to development and opportunity. 

5. Long-Term Aspirations

You should think about the long term standing of the group, organisation, club etc. If they are already established it is a huge advantage as you can be sure that there will be regular training session. You need explore their long term plans if you are looking for stability.  Will activities scheduled be on next week? At the same time this might not be an issue for you if only one-off or short-term provision is only available to you.  


6. What is your aim?

One of the most essential things you should find out before committing yourself are the aims and objectives of those hosting you. Do they fit in with yours? Are able to help you reach your goals by joining? How can they accommodate you? In fact are they willing to accommodate you? If the answer is yes then it is definitely worth trying out what they have to offer. 

7. Communication

A good communication avenue between you, the leaders and other individuals attending is beneficial. Most places use an email system to inform its players about forthcoming training sessions and updates. This lets you know that there is at least some system in place to let you know about future plans. It is always a good when people make the effort to keep you informed as they care about your contribution.


So keep all of the above seven points in mind to find a suitable place to playsports and do not be afraid to try different places until you find the right one for you.

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk 

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