If you are considering taking school trips that include sports tours, you may have a few questions before you go ahead and choose your specialist operator and book. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.
What are sports trips based on school trips?
School trips can be arranged for any of a number of purposes. Some may be aimed at developing students’ language skills in another country, or others more at exploring historical monuments, culture and archaeology. Sports tours, as the name suggests, aim to improve participants’ knowledge of a particular sport and, of course, their skill and performance levels. This is done through professional training and participation in matches.
How is this different from doing the same thing at home?
Most coaches and teachers will tell you that the development of athletic skill in youngsters can be enhanced by exposure to different techniques and ways of doing things. The best qualified and professional trainers can open the awareness and increase the confidence of the participants. If the school trips are abroad, the differences in training and development can be even more pronounced, and that can only be beneficial.
Where are these tours based?
They can be in any number of locations. For example, football tour school trips can take place in Paris, London, Malta, Ireland or Italy (as well as other places). During the training sessions, experienced coaches and referees will give advice and organize practice sessions. These may be followed by matches against other British and local teams.
Are other sports available?
Yes, similar trips may be available (locations may of course vary) for sports such as hockey, basketball, lacrosse, netball, and cricket, to name a few.
What about the broader cultural issues?
Both sports and education professionals recognize that it is sometimes necessary and desirable to take a break so that young people have the opportunity to get away from the sports field. That is why these types of tours also place an emphasis on students getting around and seeing the local sights and developing some understanding of the different cultures that surround them. This helps them avoid becoming ‘old-fashioned’ and could also help them see the role and importance of their sport in the background context of that other culture.
What role does security play?
Many parents or caregivers naturally have some concerns when their children are away from home on school trips; It’s perfectly normal and understandable. In specialized sports tours, both the educational establishment and the providers of tourist facilities have the safety of children at the forefront of their considerations.
On the sporting side, only fully qualified instructors are used and a lot of attention is paid to safety measures. Of course, no sport can ever be considered completely risk-free, so first aid facilities will normally be available at the sporting venues in question and activities will be carried out in accordance with legal safety requirements. It is important to be reassured that on school trips, the leader of the tour or group traveling with the students will be responsible for the general safety of the youth in question.
