Archery for children
A safety-assured version of a sport that’s been popular for centuries! Archery requires hand-to-eye coordination and mental concentration. This highly inclusive sport also offers participants the challenge of reaching individual improvement goals. Suitable for indoor and outdoor fun and exercise.
Athletics
A diverse range of track and field disciplines, including running, jumping and throwing, that can be adapted to different ages and abilities. This can be competitive in the form of individual and team Cross Country events, or focused on Personal Best times and distances.
Badminton
The most popular racket sport in England, according to its governing body, Badminton is competitive fun and excellent exercise. It’s an easy sport to deliver in sports halls, requiring only basic, readily available equipment. It’s universal in appeal and inclusive too.
Basketball
Using a rectangular court, hoops and a suitable ball, this is a team sport from the USA, now increasingly popular in the UK across many ages. Clear rules maintain non-contact, as five players per team compete to dribble, throw and shoot through the hoop.
Baseball
This hugely popular US sport now has universal UK appeal too. Rules are often adapted for age and ability, but generally, teams use strategy and running to hit balls and score runs around a diamond-shaped area. Fielding and pitching skills are needed too.
Boccia
An excellent game for differently-abled participants, boccia (pronounced as ‘bot-cha’) is a precision ball throwing sport that’s included in the Paralympics. Players use mental focus and hand-to-eye coordination to try to get balls close to a target ball.
Bowls
Suitable for indoor and outdoor play, bowls in various forms appeals to diverse age and ability levels. The traditional version requires little equipment, just a marked out area, where participants can roll bowling balls as close as possible to a jack (small ball).
Cricket
One of the oldest and most popular sports in the UK, cricket requires a marked out pitch, and special bats, balls and stumps. It’s a team sport, involving hand-to-eye coordination and physical activity to complete runs, or catch/collect balls as fielders.
Dance
A wonderfully creative and inclusive sport, dance can be adapted to any space or group of participants. Of the many genres, street dance is particularly popular among young people, and requires energy, balance and flexibility, but not necessarily rhythm!
Dodgeball
This team ball sport has become as popular in playgrounds as it has in sports halls. It works on a simple elimination system, and encourages running, ducking and accurate ball throwing techniques, as well as discipline and respect, to avoid over-enthusiastic participation.
Fencing
Fencing is centuries old but never goes out of fashion. It’s a strategic combat sport that requires special safety equipment and observance of clear rules. The three versions employ a foil, sabre or epée, and points are scored according to set manoeuvres.
Football
The world’s most popular sport is football (soccer in some countries). It can be adapted to various abilities and ages, including differently-abled players, as an outdoor or indoor physical activity between teams of 5, 7 or 11.
Futsal
Though similar to five-aside football, futsal uses a smaller, harder ball and requires energy and agility to score in a restricted playing space. It has its own competitions and leagues, though it’s also viewed as a starting point to learn football skills.
Goalball
This sport for players with visual impairments involves teams of three throwing or rolling a ball containing bells to get it into a goal area. Opponents try to block the ball, but this sport does not involve ball kicking or contact between players.
Gymnastics
Covering a wide range of balance, flexibility, strength and movement skills, gymnastics has been highly popular for team competitions and individual endeavours for many generations. Equipment of various kinds is used, including mats, beams, vaults and trapezoids.