Which Sport for a balanced life?!

It also really depends what the clubs are like in terms of friendliness. It may sound daft, but it makes a huge difference if you feel that you have a group of supportive parents around you as well.
I've spent a lot of time on the touchlines of various sports and it is such a relief to know that you can have a bit of a chat with the person next to you. It can be bloody miserable on a rainy Sunday morning in February so having a friendly face beside you is such a blessing.

I agree rugby, cricket, triathlon, and hockey would be good starting places, especially if she is going to do a lot of sport at school.

And hopefully a reassuring thing to note....
I have one pretty sporty DS. He was always lucky enough to be picked for a good team throughout prep up to Y8. It was only in year 8 though that you really noticed a large skills gap between the kids who were generally very sporty, and those who just did one sport or really specialize. i.e. there are very few kids any of the first teams for football, hockey, rugby and cricket who only did one sport; the generalists could hold their own at least up to 13. And the kids that specialize are quite inspiring anyway!
So, if your DD is sporty, the likelihood is that she will have a blast with school sport and anything outside is a bonus.

I would also say that we introduced athletics when he was about 12 and it has been great. And we possibly should have done it earlier but he did not have the time.
He had only played team sports before and he loves the training and the atmosphere. It's great for him to train with kids older and younger than himself, and people who specialize in different events. It has also been brilliant for his other sports, For example, he's a fast bowler at cricket and long jump training has really helped him.

Now is the time to try anything and everything. It is hard to give things up, but sadly you can't go into GCSEs doing sport and music and drama and art and Scouts etc etc to a . so you may as well make the most of it now.

So rather than be concerned about time commitments when she is 12, just find what she loves (and what you like) and go for it. Good luck.

I have an acquaintance who is a fairly high level youth athletics coach.

He says that the DC he sees to go on to be outstanding (runners, mainly) are generally those who do not specialise too early, and play various sports until early teens.

So unless your DD has a burning passion for something, I'd suggest a mix.

Ideas:

• junior parkrun on Sundays
• watersports in the school holidays
• netball club (doesn't start getting seriously competitive until secondary age so plenty of time to learn skills and have fun before deciding if she wants to aim for a squad)
• active family days out - try climbing walls, archery, bike rides
• soccer (the boys game can get a bit loopy with competitiveness early on, but they're trying to rein that in, and it was never as bad for girls anyhow)
• council-run athletics camps if you need holiday childcare - they'll tell you if she shows flair for anything (and I've found athletics parents more friendly than for some other sports) and she can join a local club later
• a racquet sport, or cricket

And pick and mix - you don't have to do everything all the time!

My DS (7) is similar, very keen and does wel at what he tries. I looked up triathlon recently (large city) and the local clubs do not train with children as young as him so we will wait a bit. So far he is really enjoying a low key football class (not competitive) and keen to get into cross country that can be started in Y3. We have discounted diving as being too demanding. I’m keen to explore cricket next summer after reading this thread.

Oh and also the pushy “multiple sessions a week” stage generally doesn’t start until about age 8/9

My view is that if a club starts demanding multiple sessions a week, I will find a different club.

IME most sports have a variety of clubs, some super competitive and pressured and some much more laid back. I don’t think it’s down to the particular sport, it’s the ethos of the particular club and of course the pushier clubs attract the pushier parents.

Gymnastics for example, there’s one near us which puts kids in squad very early and demands at least biweekly sessions (and charges a fortune!), at the other end there’s one that says come as little or often as you want and has no “squad only” sessions, and then our club is somewhere in between.

You have to be ok with the fact that X’s child who is at Pushy Club and goes 3x a week will be further ahead than your child who goes to Laidback Club and goes 1x a week (and maybe has some time for playdates and craft and tv, shock horror!)

My dc both play cricket. The problem is, even with winter nets it's a short season.

If she likes swimming & you're near the coast then surf life saving. Starts from 7 if you're at the right swim level. Loads of sport (running, swimming, boarding), the option to compete, but just as much about developing life saving skills. Also great for teen job opportunities as a lifeguard and for general all round ability to deal with crises as well as the obvious sea safety.

ride*

Horse riding is time-consuming if you have your own pony. My own daughter spends her life at the livery yard. But loads of kids just tide once a week. So horse riding is as time-consuming as you want it to be.

By far the less time consuming and pressured sport my DD6 has taken part in is bouldering. It is very laid back and inclusive where she goes.
Her other sports are dancing and horseriding and they are very time consuming.

Rugby, fantastic for DDs body image as roles for the tall and stocky and for the small and nippy. As a team sport its sociable and everyone gets to play at least half a game regardless of skill level and it's cheap at £70 a year and you don't need much kit. Training once midweek, and Sundays are training or matches.
Under 11s / minis play in mixed teams and then single sex after that.

DD has been involved in competitive swimming, tennis, dance and rugby is by far her favourite.

I wouldn't be worrying about progressing to county level in anything at any age, just try a few sports and see what she enjoys. My kids love climbing and martial arts. They do both to quite a high level but not too intensive but the sport has to suit the child.

There’s no need to start very young, it is possible to catch up.

problem is the culture of gymnastics and BG’s age related progression to elite means clubs can’t or won’t take on a child who starts “late”. They are focussed on the kids they have already been developing and a newbie won’t fit in a group that is learning advanced skills, and the classes for that age will not provide the hours and coaching needed to catch up.

it’s not they can’t catch up, but that nobody is prepared to help them do so.

At the age she is none of the competitive sports need to be so intense

I think gymnastics is the only one where I heard it's impossible to catch up unless you start very young

At the age she is none of the competitive sports need to be so intense unless you’re driving it so why not just let her pick what she’d enjoy most? Or avoid what you’d least enjoy watching (eg outdoor v indoor in the winter).

Eg my 7yo is in a swimming club and just does one session a week with the club alongside her lessons. It is actually one of the nicest, most inclusive things she does as the ethos at this age is about supporting your friends and improving. I’m not naive about where it might go later but our club has lots of routes and less intensive squads so it isn’t all 5am steers or nothing. They are also very strict about maximum hours for under 10s.

Similarly my daughters are enjoying tennis. They’re not going to get to Wimbledon but I’m sure in time they might do some local competitions. While there will be children regularly competing at that age and throwing money at it you don’t have to go down that route.

Methinks you’re projecting a little. My dc did tennis, and even as teens only played once a week. As a young adult, he still plays and enjoys it.

Whatever sport she plays, you can continue at club level, or national level, do one session a week, or train everyday.

Let her enjoy being six and playing sport.

Actually, now I've read the thread properly-I think you should leave sport to the school and choose another out of school club if you want her to do something. She's only 6. For all you know her real passion is drama or painting. Don't put all her eggs in one basket!

Anything but swimming!

Is there a girl's cricket club?

Athletics. If you're anywhere near North London, there is a fantastic club in Finsbury Park that used to cost £3 per week for 1.5 hours really high quality athletics training. You weren't tied into any contract either and could do more sessions a week/compete if you wanted to but there was zero pressure to do so. It was divided by age and ability groups and started from a very young age (whereas some athletics clubs start at 8).

Rock climbing 🧗‍♀️ is also really fun and not that time-consuming.

My own kid does show jumping 🏇which wasn't that time-consuming when she was at a riding school, but is now extremely time-consuming (and expensive!) that she has her own ponies. Very good for keeping teens mentally healthy though.

I would recommend rugby too. At this age it is a Sunday morning session only and all the focus is on skills and giving everyone a chance to play. There is also a heavy focus on sporting behaviour and supporting all players.
Girls and women's rugby is also growing and there are girls only teams from age 11 plus opportunities to play at county level as they get older.
Ideally look for a club with a women's and girls section. They are likely to have more girls playing when she is younger and role models in the senior female players.

Link

Cyclocross - off road (parks, playing fields) etc, not mountains) bike racing for predetermined time periods depending on . age group. Leagues all over the country, many cycling clubs have kids coaching sessions.

Check out cycling clubs with •
"Go Ride" accreditation.