Sports facilities in a school make for an exclusive unique point. Parents are attracted to great sports amenities in a school hoping that children get a chance to pursue their talents and hobbies. Apart from home, school is the next place where children spend all their time. Having a space to channelise their energies positively and learning new sports and games is always a boon.
However, often schools with large and well equipped sports facilities find it underutilized. The reasons for underutilization are often weather, examinations, annual leaves etc. There are several ways of turning these spaces into useful assets when not in use by students.
Leasing out to academies :
In the recent decade sports has been seen not just as an activity but also a very viable career option. However, to pursue sports as a career one must take professional guidance. Several coaching academies who have talented trainers lose out on the opportunity to impart their knowledge due to space and location. Given the space constraints, the academies either have a low intake or are located in areas far from the residential crowd. As a result parents are not comfortable sending their children too far. Schools on the other hand already have the trust of the parent and a well equipped space can be utilised better post school hours by these trainers.
Hosting sports tournaments :
Corporates, leagues and different association led teams often host team building sports events or culmination training matches over the weekends. The facility in schools can prove to be an ideal location for these groups to convene their tournaments.
Outdoor camps :
Nature as an element of learning and excursion is often an ignored one. Given the lack of time, spaces or just lethargy families often miss out on the fun they can have. Schools can host camping nights, where children can be taught how to make tents, story sessions at night, stargazing and much more. Many life skills, like sharing, making beds, waiting for your turn can be inculcated by the proceeding of this camp. This can turn into family night outs where involvement of parents can be seeked or buddy camps where children spend the night away from home with friends. Given the safety and security in schools, parents will seldom refuse to send children to a camp like this one.
Integrated studies :
Given the space and equipment students can learn a lot with teachers innovatively using the resources. For maths, show children the gymnasium aids and talk about heavy and light. The field marking can help in understanding measurement. In an art class students can be brought out to paint the natural scenes they observe. Other than sports this facility has various dimensions for offering learning and all students can benefit from the same.
