A Sporting Look at Hertfordshire-00-7633

The Importance of Doing Sport

It can be very difficult for today's schools to find enough time in their curriculum to run lengthy sports activities but the importance of doing some kind of sport is becoming ever more obvious as we enter a period when obesity is on the increase. There has also been much argument about the assumed harmful effects of kids competing in sport, especially when they don't succeed but learning how to take defeat gracefully is a key social skill, as is focusing on how to improve your performance in future. Hertfordshire youth sports are taken very seriously in the county and it is refreshing to see so many young people taking such an interest in sports.

Famous Sportspeople from Hertfordshire

A number of famous and even perhaps slightly infamous sportspeople were originally born in Hertfordshire, including Vinnie Jones (footballer and now actor), Nick Faldo (golfer), Zara Phillips (horse riding) and Lewis Hamilton (F1 racing driver), to name but a few of them. This success in sport in the county is perhaps not surprising given the county's current population of over one million but it has acted as a spur to younger people in Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire Youth Sports

Other than surfing perhaps, Hertfordshire youth sports in this county cover more or less the whole sporting spectrum. Nowhere is this more evident than in the seriously competitive Hertfordshire Youth Games, an annual event that allows teams from schools across the county to compete in 10 different sports, ranging from netball, through to table tennis, then to badminton. There are numerous sports facilities in Hertfordshire and one is the 15m Hertfordshire Sports Village based in Hatfield at the University of Hertfordshire campus. Here, visitors can find a climbing wall, two swimming pools and a studio that offers a wide range of fitness enhancing exercises from Pilates through to yoga. Meanwhile, SportsAid is working with local businesses to support very talented young sportspeople in Hertfordshire to compete more effectively in the forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games.

Different Sports in Hertfordshire

North Hertfordshire District Council has joined a Childrens Trust Partnership to increase participation in sport and provide more opportunities for young people. Hertfordshire Tennis was formed some 20 years ago to provide school children with a chance to play the game and improve on their quality of play through competition and training. Twelve youth football clubs are also listed on one site on the internet but there are likely many more scattered across the county.

The Herts Sports Partnership is an organisation dedicated to co-ordinating sport in the county, bringing together expertise, resources and ideas. Also, Hertsmere Leisure has a number of sports and leisure centres in the county with opportunities for young people to participate in their preferred sport.

There are numerous facilities for young swimmers in the county with both public and private pools available. However, a government scheme to provide free facilities to children and the over 60s is struggling due to recent cost cutting by Councils. Of course, Hertfordshire's reasonable proximity to London and good transport links also means that the county's elite athletes and young sportspeople potentially have limited access to the best of the capital's facilities when necessary to bring on and develop their full potential.

Whether it be horse riding across the countryside or sailing on one of the county's many lakes, there are countless opportunities for young people to have a go at a wide range of sports in Hertfordshire.