Junior Development needs

As we launch our new Development Service Box for children new to the game, we look at the need to develop core skills used in every day life, the differences in children now to a century ago, and the challenges they now face.

The days of five children bikes outside one childs house, is a thing of the past, along with shoes and bags dumped at the park. These were two garuenteed sites if you went for a walk in your neighbourhood and past your local park ten years ago. These would be a sign of children playing, learning, developing, in a fun social environment without the child or even the parent, noticing. The tree they couldn’t climb two weeks ago, is now achievable, the ability to stick a football past your friend had improved along with the ability to balance hanging off the end of the local bench. These have now all been replaced, with an ability to play online consoles, gaming pads and play on phones in the warmth of your own home. Communicating at best has moved to headsets, snapchat, texting or ‘DM’s”.

    Children must now turn to sport to get this exposure and develop these core skills as even Physical education at school is completely different to ten years ago. Now we live in a world of equality and inclusion, which absolutely has its needs, but also brings occasions where everybody is classed as a winner and children no longer get the exposure to new sports, laws and competitive action. 

​We now believe its more important than ever for children to develop through sport to ensure they are picking up the simple skills required throughout life as both a child and an adult, simple acts like throwing, catching and tracking of tennis balls is now more challenging than ever. However, if you asked a child to build something on ‘fortnite’ (a popular childs online game), it would be completed with the upmost ability. It is true to say we live now in a different world and generation, however those basic core abilities cannot be ignored, a fine balance between keeping up with the society and peers to feel socially included, but also develop as a person, is no easy ask.