Benefits of Playing Team Sports

I received some great pictures from St Neots rugby this weekend showing the under 9 team in their new kit with our logo. We have donated to a number of local youth teams over the years as our local community has many volunteer-run sports clubs and it is great to do a little bit to support them.

The World Health Organization says children’s health is being damaged by lack of exercise with four in five 11-17-year-olds around the world not taking enough physical exercise so helping create chances for young people to play sports has some great health benefits as well as improving brain development and social skills.

I got a lot out of playing team sports when I was young. It’s always exciting to be part of a winning team, but sometimes the greater lessons come from losses. Each loss was an opportunity to learn about being gracious, moving on and trying again.

Playing team sports taught me to make decisions at a quicker pace than I might at home or school. Making quick decisions helped me develop a sense of self-confidence that I may not have readily developed otherwise. As we protect and make more decision for our children, team sports are an increasingly more important way to practise decision making skills.

The most important lesson that team sports taught me as child is how there are times in life that you have to play a role for the greater good of the team. Later in life this helped me realise, sometimes the most gratifying choice you can make is the one to help others, even when it is inconvenient.

More money spent on youth sports can have some great long-term benefits as these young people turn into the employees of the future. Companies could consider sponsoring local community sports a form of advertising or a charitable contribution. Either way for a relatively small amount of money, it’s a great way of making a positive contribution to your community.