There are 3 main categories of sports providers, private, public and voluntary.
The providers of sports facilities have changed quite a lot since I started playing sport. When I was younger I would take part in PE in primary school. In p.1 – p.2 the girls and boys all got changed in the classroom together with the help of a teacher if needed, whereas nowadays boys and girls have to have separate changing room facilities and must be able to dress without adult help.
I also went to Irish Dancing. When I started, we practiced in a small hall with a CD player, as my club had only started up, but now we practice in the leisure centre and have a lot more advanced facilities to play music on. We also have a video out where the seniors go over steps slowly, then all together to help the younger members learn the steps and go over old ones at home.
People are now more aware of health and safety within the building or sports grounds. There are people there who are properly trained in first aid when a match is going on.
Now there are usually smaller class sizes, so that the teacher can work closer with each person. At dancing practice when I was younger class sizes where much bigger, but now groups are divided according to age and ability with proper supervision by trained staff.
Parents now have to give written permission for children to attend sports activities with emergency contact numbers and the child’s medical history. Children now have to have adequate safety equipment when taking part in most activities e.g. shin guards and mouth guards.
3) Discuss the role of PE in education.
I think that PE in a very important part of education. The skills children learn in primary schools will stay with them the rest of their lives, whether it be something as simple as throwing or catching a ball. This helps them with co-ordination and concentration skills which will help them not only physically, but also academically.
PE also encourages children to work as part of a team and helps children bond, which may not be learned in a classroom. Individual sport also makes the child aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
PE should teach a child how to win, but also how to lose gracefully as not everyone can be winners. There are many different sporting activities, and every child should be able to find at least one that they enjoy doing.
Obesity is a big problem nowadays therefore regular exercise is important to help prevent long term health problems.
4) How has the increase on salaries for performers changed sport and society overall?
The increase on salaries for performers has changed sport and society a lot.
Years ago, people played sport professionally because they loved it, they weren’t in it for the money. Nowadays, some footballers earn more in a month than a person on average salary would earn in a year.
There has been a huge increase on salaries for performers. They are now getting huge amounts of money just for playing sports and this appeals to a lot of children. They do work and train hard, but it seems to me like it’s an easy way to make money.
David Beckham, for example, signed a 25 million pound deal with Real Madrid in 2005. This doesn’t even seem like a realistic amount of money to earn, just for playing football. There are people who work every day of their lives and still wouldn’t end up with even half as much money as he earns in a year. David Beckham shot to fame because of his football ability but he now also advertises products on TV and is also famous for his looks and for marrying Victoria Beckham.
The increase on performer’s salaries has changed society in a number of ways. People may go into sport for the wrong reasons, they may not go in for fitness and enjoyment, but instead so they can make big money and become a celebrity. People in our society see sports players as important people with a very important job. They are always in the newspaper or on television whereas those with jobs, who benefit others, like midwives and teachers, don’t get as much credit for their jobs as them.
However, sports players also have a good effect on the younger generation. They are role models for children, and this encourages them to take part in sports as it makes them feel closer to their idols. This helps with children’s health and fitness levels and gives them something to strive for.
5) Research what sources of funding your individual sports club access in order to function. What other funding could they possibly obtain?
I dance for the Bentra School of Irish Dancing. I dance 3 times a week and help teach the younger pupils on Saturday mornings. My dancing teacher, Jacqui, teaches Monday-Saturdays and pays for the hall each time she’s down. She also needs money to update music, and money for her to earn a good wage off.
My sports club charges £2.50 per week per person. There are about 150 pupils. We also get money from doing displays. The amount we get depends who the displays are for, how long they last and how many pupils are dancing. For one display we could get anything up £400.
At present, we do not receive any other types of funding.
6) How do the media present your sport? How has the media affected sport overall? What forms of promotion do they use?
Irish dancing has been around for as long as Ireland has been a country however it has only recently been in the media. Irish Dancing became more popular in 1994 when river dance was first performed during a seven minute interval of the 1994 Eurovision song contest.
There are two different styles of dancing, fies, and festival. When someone thinks of Irish dancing they see the feis style which would put you in mind of an American pageant, where the children all have to wear wigs, makeup and very over the top dresses costing up to £1500 per dress. My style of Irish dancing is the traditional style, festival dancing, where emphasis is put on the dancing and not the costume. Make up and hair are very natural and the dresses only cost up to £200, however this is not what people know Irish dancing as, because on TV and in the media it is presented in the feis style.
Shows like river dance and lord of the dance are very popular now, shows are sold out as soon as tickets are released and this is due to the media. It has become very popular due to advertisements, leaflets and posters. There are also River Dance websites where people can find out a lot more information about Irish dancing.
The media has affected sport a great deal. Without the media, people would still see sport as sport. Now, it is seen as a very glamorous job. There are a lot of very famous sports personalities such as David Beckham who are not only known for their sport, but also for their personal lives.
There are a lot of different promotions used to advertise sport. Television and advertisements are huge ones. Some sports starts have their own television shows. David Beckham is the “face” of lynx aftershave and is seen not only on TV, but in magazine advertisements too. People see these and this encourages them to maybe watch that particular sport.
Leisure centres also hold promotion days where kids can go down and try out all different sports ranging from squash to hockey. This lets them see what they like and what they are good at, which encourages them to continue in that particular sport. Some also give out free footballs which again will encourage children to play.
