WHETHER THEY WANT to or not, most children take part in sports either at school or with their home town clubs.
However, the latest figures suggest that just 45% of the adult population participate in sport, meaning more than half are missing out on the physical, mental and social benefits that can be obtained from taking part.
Diving deeper into the numbers, even when we do take part in sport as adults, the vast majority of us choose individual pursuits such as running (8.2%), cycling (8%) and swimming (5.5%) over team events.
This is a trend Niall Stack, a sports psychologist who works with the Tipperary footballers and Ireland international Cillian Sheridan, is keen to see reversed.
“Sport and exercise has long been established as being beneficial to physical health, with obvious benefits such as having a reduced risk of developing health conditions and diseases as well as weight control and being energetic.
“At a time when people are working such long hours and often times are commuting to and from work or college, it’s very easy to fall into an inactive lifestyle.
“Sport and exercise in general is associated with improved mental health. Specifically, participation in team sports has been found to be beneficial to mental health in comparison to individual sport and exercise activity due to the social nature of the participation,” he says.
Indeed, among the benefits of taking part in team sports as an adult, Stack also lists:
- Improved sleep
- Improved self-esteem
- Improved energy boost
- Improved mood
- Improved motivation
- Improved appetite
- Improved social skills
- A sense of achievement
- A healthy focus in life
But why does Stack believe being part of a team can benefit your mental health more so than individual activity?
He points to studies showing that clubs may work as social catalysts, leading to “enhanced involvement and participation.”
In short, the more likely you are to stick around because you feel “socially connected” to a team, the more likely it is you will continue to engage in physical activity which, in turn, benefits your mental health.
Stack does admit it can be difficult to join a team as an adult, especially in traditional sports like soccer, GAA and rugby, where you might be “the new person in a group that has been together since they were all U12.”
This may be why the majority of Irish adults choose individual activities such as swimming and running but one team sport Stack says they should consider, as almost everyone playing only took it up as adults themselves, is touch rugby.
“Touch rugby is the perfect team sport for both men and women to get the opportunity to get out and train with a team and feel part of something which has a purpose but, in general, is a very lighthearted sport with a tremendous social side to it,” says Stack.
“Recent studies in Ireland suggest both men and women participate in recreational and competitive sport mainly for social engagement and fitness enhancement, and I think touch rugby is perfect for that.
“In short, getting out on a field and playing a social sport for me is something I would advise all people of different abilities to take up.”
Cadbury Boost are proud sponsors of Irish rugby and are running the Cadbury #BoostYourAwareness Touch Rugby Blitz on Friday, 19 May at Lansdowne Rugby Club. If your team would like to enter, please click here.
All proceeds from the Cadbury #BoostYourAwareness Touch Rugby Blitz go to Aware.
