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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want a move towards competitive sport in primary schools

205 replies

noseynoonoo · 13/08/2012 18:24

First off, this is not a political rant and I hope it doesn't turn into one.

I am so cheesed off about this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19219942

The details are patchy but it looks on the surface that competitive sport such as football and netball are to be widely promoted - is there anything less motivating?

Football, is just too dull, kicking a ball around, usually with limited skill at primary level whilst netball involves 7 girls per team of which 2 stand still most of the time.

My daughter just wants to be active. I don't care if it's competitive, I just want her moving and being fit. As the second tallest girl in her class, and if teachers are as unimaginitve as they were in my day, she'll be Goal Shooter or Goal Keeper and kept within a small semicircle. My son is a little dynamo and finds football dull. I hate to think of sports being so restricted.

So, can anyone tell me that I have misunderstood where school sports is going?

OP posts:
JumpingThroughHoops · 13/08/2012 18:28

Football, is just too dull, kicking a ball around

Give most kids a ball and they will make a game of it. I sort of agree with you, but I think they should be allowed to develop their own games as well, in the playground. They'll kick it, hit it with an implement, throw it - imagination is a wonderful thing.

Structured sports is also important - it has rules and discipline, which are missing from some homes. It's a learning curve, how to be part of a group, obey the rules, team spirit, camaraderie and so on

Sirzy · 13/08/2012 18:28

Yabu. Competion is good and children need to learn how to win and loose with grace and competitive sport is good for that. That doesn't mean that all sports done in school should be competitive, and there are plenty of competitive options beyond football and netball anyway.

Original poster
noseynoonoo · 13/08/2012 18:29

JumpingthroughHoops - I agree on what a child with do a ball - so why restrict it to kicking?

I have nothing aginst team sport - I'm against reverting back to football for boys and netball for girls.

OP posts:
Original poster
noseynoonoo · 13/08/2012 18:30

Sirzy, I am not against competition, I am against football for boys and netball for girls which is what I think the outcome will be.

OP posts:
LastMangoInParis · 13/08/2012 18:33

reverting back to football for boys and netball for girls

  • WHAT? WHAT?
Haven't read the BBC article, but WTF WRT 2012 women's football? I thought there was some hope that the Olympics had moved us all forward.
Sirzy · 13/08/2012 18:33

You must be reading a very different article to me if you managed to find anything even hinting at that.

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2012 18:35

Football = Kicking a ball around

Netball = Chucking a ball around

Javelin = Chucking a stick around

Discus = Chucking a disc around

Rugby = Chucking an egg shaped ball around

If you're not particularly keen on sports then you can always 'reduce' them with dull/over simplistic descriptions.

But hopefully you won't project your negative feelings onto your child.

TheBolter · 13/08/2012 18:35

Whaaat?! Sorry, I think there should be more competitive sports in primary schools. I'm all in favour of it.

Competition seems to be a dirty word in the state sector, yet it also encourages sportsmanship, team playing, exercise, and for those that succeed (and why should they not be allowed to shine? They have a right to excel) it can be incredibly empowering - even at a young age!

Agree with Sirzy. Losing is as great a lesson as winning, more so in fact. Because children are treated so fairly these days it makes losing really hard for them as they get older.

Original poster
noseynoonoo · 13/08/2012 18:36

LastMango - you'd be surprised how many schools that I visited before DCs went to primary seemed to have the separation of sports in this way already - I didn't choose those schools.

OP posts:
TheBolter · 13/08/2012 18:37

Sorry, just seen your later posts. OK, I get the gender issues, but I don't think there's much wrong with it. Girls are often encouraged to play football too.

Sirzy · 13/08/2012 18:39

The sex issue only becomes an issue if adults make it an issue. There is no reason that children can't happily play sports alongside each other (at primary school) or the same sports (at secondary)

JumpingThroughHoops · 13/08/2012 18:39

This is why I get annoyed with people who have issues with street play. By that I mean normal street play - not feral behaviour - kids need to get out there and mix and play and develop their imaginations.

I do bite my tongue, because I would dearly love to be Hyacinth, out there moaning - but I do realise that when children are within their community every one looks out for them, they aren't round the park doing white lightening, drugs, or up the Mall being a complete PIA.

nosey lots of girls football teams, actively encouraged. I don't know of any boys netball teams (Im sure someone will point me in the right direction if there are any)

I see where the Op is coming from - all exercise is good exercise, just get allow kids to be kids and have a variety that suits them individually?

I said on another thread, girls often give up sport in mid teens, who the hell wants to be running round a hockey pitch in the pissing rain? so introduce dance classes, or yoga. Anything that keeps them moving! Ditto for boys, not all of them like contact sports such as football or rugby - so how about golf?

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2012 18:41

I've read through that article and can't see anything about 'football for boys' and 'netball for girls'?

My DS plays for his Primary school football team and there are girls in it....the same as the netball team is mixed too.

Vagaceratops · 13/08/2012 18:42

YANBU.

What about those children who cannot access competitive sport?

Also, with budgets being cut for schools every year, where do the government think the money will come from for all this equipment?

JumpingThroughHoops · 13/08/2012 18:42

nosey - There is no reason that children can't happily play sports alongside each other (at primary school) or the same sports (at secondary)

Male physical strength kicks in round about 11/12, hence the mini soccer tends to side line girls into all girl teams in Y6.

tennis, volleyball, table tennis, badminton - all mixed gender mainstream secondary sports.

But you also have to factor in puberty - each of the sexes becomes shy round the other at that age.

Sparks1 · 13/08/2012 18:42

Why is that sport is treated differently to any other subject in school.

Every subject is a competition. Be it streaming or exam results. University / college admission is a competition, so why not sport?

Sparks1 · 13/08/2012 18:44

What about those children who cannot access competitive sport?

The point of the proposals do you not think?

sadie3 · 13/08/2012 18:44

It?s about time children stopped being mollycoddled. Life is competitive, the sooner they get used to winning and more importantly loosing the better IMO

ILiveInAPineapple · 13/08/2012 18:44

I think it's a brilliant thing!
I was actually worried about my 4 yr old starting reception and not being "allowed" to be competitive!
I am a very competitive person, especially against myself, which is the worst sort of competition, as is my DH, and my DS has obviously followed in our footsteps, to the point that one day we were lying on his bed playing, and he said he wanted to go downstairs. I told him I would need to sit up first - and his reply was, "No Mummy, I need to sit up first"!!!!

So I for one am all for competitive sports, it's healthy. Life is competitive. And I am almost sure that they will have a variety of sports - in the secondary I teach in, we do outreach to primaries, and the PE Dept run all kinds of different competitive sports with our feeder primaries.

Sirzy · 13/08/2012 18:45

Sorry jumping, I did mean in the team/contact sport type sense.

The junior rugby teams which play at half time of the super league matches I go to are always mixed teams.

flatpackhamster · 13/08/2012 18:45

Vagaceratops

YANBU.

What about those children who cannot access competitive sport?

Why is that a reason to deny those who can access it?

Also, with budgets being cut for schools every year, where do the government think the money will come from for all this equipment?

We're talking about a game of football, not kitting out a sailing team.

Sirzy · 13/08/2012 18:46

I am intrigued as to why anyone would be unable to access competitive sport?

Rafaella · 13/08/2012 18:46

Netball has moved on from our day and primary schools are supposed to play High 5 netball which can be mixed boys and girls and all players rotate round the positions every few minutes during a game so they don't get pigeonholed as GK etc. I think you have 9 or 10 on each team and one acts as umpire, scorer, something else. As long as it's well organised it's great but as always with good PE teaching requires an enthusiastic coach, not long suffering teacher who is told to tick PE box. They still play regular netball at secondary school.

SquishyCinnamonSwirls · 13/08/2012 18:46

YABU
I'm all for supporting competitive sport within primary school's. I dislike the image you are portraying - football for boys and netball for girls. That is completely unnecessary, however I think competition is healthy and motivating. There is nothing wrong with teaching children that there are winners and losers and both must do so with good grace.

spoonsspoonsspoons · 13/08/2012 18:47

No player in netball is restricted to the semi-circle