SPORT IN HULME
As part of the lectures given on the Birley Community Day Geoff Thompson, from the organisation Youth Charter and Pete Bradshaw, of Manchester City Football Club, discussed the inclusivity of sport. We have outlined key points taken from their talk.
In 1993 Geoff Thompson formed the Youth Charter, a charity organisation that uses sports, arts and culture to tackle social issues. ‘Specifically, the Youth Charter tackles educational non-attainment, health inequality, anti-social behaviour and the negative effects of crime, drugs, gang related activity and racism by applying the ethics of sporting and artistic excellence. These can then be translated to provide social and economic benefits of citizenship, rights, responsibilities, with improved education, health, social order and environment.’ Sport can be used as a method to engage with whole communities, while also encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Despite this, 85% of the British population does not partake in any sport.
The advent of the car transformed streets from informal playgrounds, and places of social interaction, into hazardous throughways. Furthermore, ‘no ball games’ signs have become more prevalent in cities as privacy is favoured over community engagement. Pete Bradshaw discussed the design of leisure centres, and their lack of impact on society. Commonly these buildings are created with cheap materials, on cheap land, and accessed by poorly lit paths. He stressed that these were ‘uninviting places’ that deterred people from taking part in sport. Bradshaw concluded that modern day sports centres need to be designed to encourage people to use them.
PLAY IN HULME
Hulme has limited access to sport centre facilities, with the nearest leisure centre in the adjacent ward - Moss Side. This sport centre provides residents with access to a gym, swimming pool and a sports hall. While schools provide facilities during working hours, when these institution close, so do their facilities. Parks, that could encourage informal play, remain unlit at night.
At the Birley Community Day we asked some children, wearing football shirts, where young people could go in Hulme to casually play sport. We were informed that the nearest place was a ten minute bus journey away.
While the district of Hulme does contain a series of parks suitable for sport, there are a number of reasons that contribute to the lack of use by locals:
Un-Lit During the summer months these parks may be used more, however, without adequate lighting these outdoor spaces become redundant during most months of the year, out of school hours.
Un-roofed Would people rather play out in the rain when they can recreate the sporting experiences through playstation’s and xbox’s in the comforts of their own homes?
Un-Manned Without any adequate security, residents are reluctant to use the parks. Younger people who will only use the parks under the supervision of an adult.
Moss Side Leisure centre While the centre provides good facilities for swimming and a gym, two small sports hall can’t provide the required space for the two wards.