The Greater Game Blog: Move Well
Building a healthy team doesn’t just happen on the pitch but also off the pitch. The UK government recommends that children between the ages of 5-17 should do some form of moderate intensity activity every day for 60 minutes, whether that’s playing football, running or simply playing (UK gov). Sadly, by the time a child is 11, only 41% of them meet the exercise guidelines (BHF). Children are now more likely to spend 8 hours a day being sedentary whether that’s at school learning or at home (Hidding).
This is why it’s so important to educate young players and their families about the importance of staying active on and off the pitch. Children who play a variety of sports are less likely to experience exercise burnout and continue to exercise in their later years (The Sports Institute.). By creating healthy physical activity habits, young players can improve performance, decision making skills and reduce the risk of injury (CDC). Players should be encouraged to make small changes every now and then to help optimise their health and performance on the football pitch.
Elite football players are always finding ways to stay active off the pitch. Away from training they like to walk, cycle and go to the gym to do some strength training. Research has shown that having at least one strength training session per week can help to improve performance and reduce risk of injury (Yu et al. 2021). By encouraging young players to add a variety of exercises into their routine, they can improve their agility, power and muscle endurance.
Additionally, young players can continue to exercise away from football. To prevent boredom or low moods footballers, go for runs or go to the gym during off-season periods so they can still perform at an optimal level once the football season starts again.
Moving Well
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity a day, whilst limiting the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time. Our England teams recognise the benefits of getting good exercise outside of football.
We can see how effective it is for elite footballers but what about young players? How can increased physical activity off the pitch help them? The CDC, suggests that a young person aged between 6-17 years old should participate in aerobic activity, and muscle and bone strengthening activities each week. This can be done by encouraging kids to run, jump and climb. All these activities are key for a young person’s development and sporting performance.
Jayanthi et al (2020) found that young athletes, particularly girls are more likely to get injured if they only specialize in one sport, but by adding variation to sports played, young people were at lower risk of becoming injured. A variety of exercises also helps to increase neuroplasticity for young players improving learning skills and mental well-being (Hortobágyi et al. 2022). However, it is also key to ensure proper rest is encouraged too. Young people need at least 8 hours of sleep per night to ensure good physical and cognitive function.
Find out how The Greater Game has made a difference to Coalville Town
How does The Greater Game affect those people who play the beautiful game week-in and week-out? We went down to Coalville Town FC to find out!
Motivating young people to exercise can be challenging if they struggle to find exercises they enjoy or just have a lack of support away from their football community. Firstly, it is important to create a positive attitude towards being active away from football, encourage younger players to go for walks or do some strength training as an alternative activity. Parents and carers are also a key part in this process as children look up to them and often pick up their habits.
So, ask your team to get their family involved by going on walks or doing a workout together. You could set your team some homework and challenge them to do some form of activity each week and ask some family members to get involved as well. Alternatively, you could organise a group activity for your team, such as a swimming, rounder’s or even charity run. Not only is this a great opportunity for your team to get active, it helps them to develop better team building skills in a different setting.
Choice is also a key element, when encouraging your team to be more active. Give them a few options that will help them decide and allow them to do something they enjoy or want to improve. Often when we are given a task we don’t enjoy or that we know we aren’t very good at we are less likely to do it, and we create a negative perception of the task at hand. You could also ask your team to come up with their own challenges and each week you select a few for the team to complete.
Listen to our podcast on The Greater Game
LISTEN HERE
Some examples for tasks you could set your team could be to:
- Go for a run with a family member.
- Practice skipping for 10 minutes.
- Create a dance routine with some friends.
Or
- Do some strength training at the gym or at home.
- Go for a walk with your family (or dog).
- Cycle to school or around your town.
Putting these habits into place won’t just benefit your player’s football performance but will benefit their mental well-being, sleep quality and encourage healthy eating. The Greater Game brings all these components together to help support you and your team. When focusing on the movement pillar you can use the ‘Move well off season programme’ or use the ‘Move cards’ found here. Staying active is so important for young players' well-being and physical health, so introducing small habits each week can make a huge difference to their growth and development.
References
British Heart Foundation. “New Study Finds Children Become Less Active Each Year of Primary School.” Bhf.org.uk, British Heart Foundation, 11 Dec. 2019.
CDC. “Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Children.” Physical Activity Basics, 10 May 2024.
“Physical Activity for Children: An Overview.” Physical Activity Basics, 5 Mar. 2024.
Department of Health and Social Care. “Physical Activity for Children and Young People: 5 to 18 Years (Text of the Infographic).” GOV.UK, 19 Sept.2019.
Hidding, Lisan , et al. “Why Do Children Engage in Sedentary Behavior? Child- and Parent-Perceived Determinants.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 14, no. 7, 22 June 2017, p. 671. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019.
“The Sports Institute | Play More than One Sport to Be a Better, Healthier Athlete.” Thesportsinstitute.com.
Yu, Liang, et al. “The Importance of In-Season Strength and Power Training in Football Athletes: A Brief Review and Recommendations.” International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, vol. 1, no. 1, 4 Jan. 2021. Accessed 11 July 2024.
VISIT THE GREATER GAME RESOURCE HUB