Why Movement Matters

Tuesday 25th November, by Charlotte

Our mission is simple. Bring people together and help them be active, physically and socially. You’re probably most familiar with our tennis sessions in local parks, however, we also work with local schools to provide free tennis sessions to pupils. This year across the five areas we operate in we have been to 56 schools, and helped 12,720 pupils, of those pupils 6363 were girls. In total we’ve spent 272 hours in schools.

So, why are we doing this?

Well, children are less active than ever. In England, 2.2 million children and young people do less than an average of 30 minutes of activity a day. One in ten children across the UK are classed as obese or at risk of obesity. On top of this, one in ten young people in the UK have low wellbeing. 39% of children and young people with two or more characteristics of inequality meet the physical activity guidelines, 60 minutes per day, in England compare with 51% of those without those characteristics. Digital distraction is cited as one of the many factors causing this, with daily screen time increasing opportunities for meaningful physical activity have been reduced, with 70% of parents believing that because of digital distractions children are spending less time being active. By introducing them to tennis in a free capacity in a fun and safe environment, we’re hoping to combat these issues and start a life long passion.

But why does it actually matter?

Firstly, the Youth Sport Trust found that young people do aspire to be more active, with 71% wanting to be more active at school, meaning that if opportunities are created children are likely to engage. However, there is also a significant amount of research that shows the benefits of children being more active. For example, in children and adolescents, physical activity promotes bone health, encourages healthy growth and development of muscle, and improves motor and cognitive development. Specific sports will also have further benefits, for example, tennis is fantastic at building hand-eye coordination. Furthermore, evidence shows that young people who are physically active are likely to have better physical health, mental health, and social wellbeing. With learning and memory also improved there’s positive links to school outcomes as well as emotional regulation. Extracurricular sport activities can also support school attendance.

Young girls also face a different set of challenges on top of those faced by all children. For example, girls are far less likely to play sport than boys, with 11- to 18-year-olds missing out on 1.4 hours a week, the equivalent of 52 football matches a year. On top of this, 340,000 more girls are excluded from playing due to cost and lack of local access. When girls do play sport, they often find the boys teams take priority, with 29% of girls saying boys got priority booking for facilities, leading many girls to disengage by age 11. However, when girls do play sports, the benefits are incredible. Those who play after-school sport are 50% more likely to get top jobs later in life. Researchers have attributed this to the resilience, confidence and adaptability that sport builds. Women who play sport are a third more likely to handle pressure well and bounce back after hard times, and a fifth more likely to enjoy trying new things.

So, we know why it’s so important to get children more active and get them involved in sports, but now we need to keep doing it and we’re asking for your help and support. If you’re a parent, guardian, or teacher please speak to your school about us visiting. 

References

Hall, R., 2025. Girls who play after‑school sport in UK 50% more likely to later get top jobs, study finds. The Guardian [online] 11 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/11/girls-who-play-after-school-sport-in-uk-50-more-likely-to-later-get-top-jobs-study-finds [Accessed 2 October 2025]. 

World Health Organization, 2024. Physical activity. WHO [online] 26 June. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity [Accessed 2 October 2025].

Youth Sport Trust, 2025. PE & School Sport Report 2025: Annual Report. Youth Sport Trust [online]. Available at: https://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/qw5i5s4h/yst_pe_school_sport_report_2025_final.pdf [Accessed 2 October 2025].

University of Edinburgh, 2023. Exercise helps mental health in pre‑teen years. University of Edinburgh (Research & Innovation) [online] 1 March. Available at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/research-innovation/latest-research-news/exercise-can-help-mental-health-in-pre-teen-years [Accessed 2 October 2025].

Women in Sport, 2025. Explore the issues. Available at: https://womeninsport.org/explore-the-issues/ (Accessed: 25 November 2025). 

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