Doing Sport Differently

Doing Sport Differently - Launching a £500m initiative intended to boost sports activity in English schools by three extra hours a week by 2010, Tony Blair said, "You've got to bring back school sport. It's got to be done differently than it was 40 years ago."

Launching a £500m initiative intended to boost sports activity in English schools by three extra hours a week by 2010, Tony Blair said, "You've got to bring back school sport. It's got to be done differently than it was 40 years ago."

Of course, all Head Teachers and their sports specialists will have individual ideas about how their potential allocation of the funding should be spent, to suit their own particular needs. But there is no reason why preferences for traditional sports and new activites cannot be accommodated in their plans, even where space may be at a premium.

Multi-use ball courts, practice goal modules, versatile multi-sport systems, basketball goals and fitness trails, as well as combinations of these elements can all play their part in the battle to get children fit and keep them that way.

Wildcats Premier Sport Activity System has already enabled many a school to replace the traditional sports field with a multi-use ballcourt. Whether you choose a design from the standard range or prefer a bespoke installation, Wildcats Premier, designed to BS PAS 30, accommodates football, basketball, hockey, cricket and netball.

It's a durable, vandal resistant product offering low maintenance and durability. Perhaps the most prized attribute, however, of this modular system is its flexibility. Depending on space and budget, schools may select anything, from stand-alone combination goals or goal modules, complete with side panels, to a full-size court with white-lining for several activities.

Another evolutionary system recently developed in tandem with Lancashire primary schools and the local council is the new Wicksteed Allrounda system.

Space-maximising Allrounda is an ingenious solution where space is at a premium. It can transform an area of Tarmac or unused ground into a sports arena for football, tennis, basketball, netball, hockey and cricket – not to mention 'high fives" and tag rugby! Allrounda is not only budget-friendly; it allows several different ball games to be played at the same time.

Sports areas created by Wildcats Premier or Allrounda are ideal for formal tuition and clubs, as well as for impromptu games and kick-abouts which all contribute to youngsters' fitness.

This benefit is also true of Fantasy Funrun, Wicksteed's popular fitness trail which is robust as well as attractive to children, encouraging them to exercise and develop their balance and co-ordination skills whilst simply having fun! With each individual component Kitemarked to BS EN 1176, Fantasy Funrun comes in a wide variety of standard configurations. Here again, flexibility is the key and Wicksteed's advisers will explore the possibilities for bespoke designs to suit schools' sites and preferences.

The selection of Wicksteed sport and play equipment suitable for schools in promoting health and 'fighting the flab' is wide. It includes basketball, five-aside and combination goals for permanent fixing as well as portable basketball goals covering the 5 to 16 age range which are wheeled into position for outdoor or indoor team games or basketball practice and stored safely away when they're not in use. All in all Wicksteed is a valuable partner in helping schools to do sport the same but better, or to do it differently.

Wildcats Premier Multi-sport Goal Module

Wicksteed Fantasy Funrun Adventure Trail