Youth Sport West

The aim of the project is to provide extra-curricular sporting opportunities for children in primary and secondary schools by creating an environment in which every young person can be encouraged and enabled to derive benefit from participation in sporting activities.

Programmes with an emphasis on non-competitive, child-friendly environments have proved popular and highly beneficial to children in primary schools and helps encourage all children to participate in quality programmes, giving children a positive first experience of sport encouraging them to carry on participation into adulthood

Programmes are available across a range of sports including multi-sport, court games, field sports, outdoor recreation, Dance and fitness classes etc

Benefits of Youth Sport West

Provision of non-competitive sports and activities to pupils. Takes emphasis off competition and focuses on participation and fun.

• Ability to offer extra curricular activities for children who do not want to play team sports, e.g. aerobics, dance, gymnastics etc
• Getting those who did not normally engage in sport to participate. As a result many unlikely pupils have developed an interest in and enjoyment of sport, with some having gone on to join local clubs
• In previous projects not only were increased levels of fitness and enhanced health benefits of participants reported, but increased self confidence, self esteem and more positive attitudes and behaviour were also key outcomes
• To build structures that remove the barriers which previously existed to a young person participating in sport within rural/urban areas
• Access to high quality coaching in a range of sports for schools that would not otherwise have been able to offer this
• Establish and build links between schools and wider community

Costs and Times

The extra-curricular programme can take place after school or half in half out of lunch break (for schools depending on buses home). Youth Sport West cannot take place fully in curriculum time.

• The cost of a 6 week programme to a school is €180 which goes towards covering the fees of the coach.

Coaches work on a part-time therefore availability of sports/activities is based on the availability of the coach, schools may need to be flexible on programme days to ensure getting a specific programme, or book a term in advance if a particular day is allocated for the programme.