Playing sports on rise among children in minorities
CHILDREN from minority groups are taking part in sports more than ever before, a new Sport Wales survey suggests. More pupils from Arabic, Asian and British Asian families are participating in sport three times a week compared to results three years ago.
During a survey completed by more than 120,000 children aged seven to 16, Sport Wales found that 7% more pupils from Arab or other ethnic groups are getting involved compared to results carried out in 2015.
The number of Asian and British Asian pupils taking part in sports three times a week has also risen from 36% to 40%.
Meanwhile, 45% of pupils with a disability or impairment said they take part in sport three times a week compared to 40% back in 2015.
Owen Hathway, head of insight and policy at the national sports organisation, welcomed the news but said more work was needed to encourage sports within some groups.
This year the number of black or British black pupils participating in sport has dropped from 52% to 51% compared to 49% of those from white families.
The number of children from the most deprived areas getting involved has also fallen from 43% to 42% – compared to 55% of those in the least deprived areas.
Mr Hathway said: “It’s really encouraging to see the rise in numbers of children from under-represented groups taking part in sport. We know that a lot of work has been carried out across the sector with partners such as Disability Sport Wales and BME Sport Cymru to further engage these specific groups of young people who want the opportunity to get involved in sport.
“There is, however, still a lot of work to be done. There are still groups where the gap is not closing, and for those where things look to be improving, we need to continue our efforts to make sport as accessible as possible.
“The challenge is engaging all those who have said they want to do more. We need to take into consideration what motivates young people to get involved in sport and what keeps them coming back. It’s about more than numbers, it’s about what sport contributes to an individual’s life.”
On average it was found 99 minutes per week are allocated to PE in schools across Wales – below the two hours recommended by the Welsh Government.
Overall 48% of children who took part in the survey said they took part in three sports sessions a week in addition to timetabled PE lessons. However, 96% of pupils said they want to do more, and 80% described themselves as confident in trying a new sport.
Sarah Powell, chief executive of Sport Wales, said: “Enjoyment is such an important factor in ensuring sport becomes a part of someone’s life. Without it, there is no hope of them having a positive lifelong relationship with sport. Getting that introduction to sport right at school age is key as we know if they don’t enjoy it as children, the likelihood of them enjoying it later in life is lower.
“We need to remember what people told us during the development of the Vision for Sport in Wales – they want variety, they want more accessible and less competitive sporting options, and they want to have fun.”