Dragon Sport Sports Extra

Dragon Sport

Dragon Sport provides children of primary school age with fun and appropriate sporting opportunities. Dragon Sport is a Sports Council for Wales initiative and is funded by the lottery. It has been developed in partnership with national governing bodies, the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in PE (BAALPE) Wales, the Youth Sport Trust and local authorities.

Focus Sports

The following seven ‘focus sports’ are currently included in Dragon Sport: ATHLETICS, CRICKET, FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, NETBALL, RUGBY and TENNIS. These have been selected first as sports that will be familiar to volunteers and help children develop the basic motor skills (such as movement and co-ordination) required for all sports. They can easily be delivered safely, and there is good access to equipment and facilities.

Operation

Dragon Sport is promoted and delivered through a network of full-time Dragon Sport Co-ordinators, based in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales. It is supported by a comprehensive range of resource cards and equipment to help deliver Dragon Sport sessions, with further resource materials for the recruitment and training of volunteer parents, teachers and coaches. The programme concentrates on using these resources to develop opportunities outside the school curriculum and in the community. All resources are also compatible with the curriculum, so many schools and teachers can choose to use them in PE lessons.

The programme is co-ordinated in Bridgend by Karen Winch, Dragon Sport Co-ordinator. Every Primary School is now engaged in delivering the Dragon Sport programme and recent studies show 83% of children to be involved in after-school clubs.

Dragon Sport creates links with sports clubs and other community activities by offering children and volunteers opportunities to progress in a wide range of sports.

The Scheme

The Dragon Sport scheme intends to broaden the sporting interests of children who already take part in particular sports and to involve children who currently lack such opportunities outside school PE lessons. Dragon Sport will introduce children to sports coaching, skill development and appropriate competition using versions of the adult game modified to meet their needs and skill levels.

Dragon Sport Aims

* to introduce 7-11 year olds to an enjoyable and well-organised range of sports

* to give them clearly identified opportunities to feed into and progress through sports

development programmes in clubs and the community

* to implement child-centred programmes across a range of sports activities delivered through

out-of-school clubs

* to recruit parents, teachers and others into sports leadership and provide them with

pathways into coaching, officiating or administration

* to support sports clubs in developing junior sections suitable for children aged 7-11 years

and to develop links between clubs and schools through after-school activities

Delivery by Schools and the Community

Dragon Sport can easily be delivered by volunteers. Dragon Sport Co-ordinators provide step-by-step advice and training to help schools, sports clubs and volunteers deliver Dragon Sport. This help is offered to schools and clubs through a rolling programme, agreed in partnership with local authorities, PE advisors, national governing bodies of sport, schools and other local sporting providers. Dragon Sport may also be delivered by leisure centres, youth groups, voluntary and uniformed organisations.

The Sports Council for Wales aims to set up Dragon Sport schemes in half of all Welsh primary schools by the year 2005.