When I Was Young

From My Sport

MY PAPER WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2008

DAWN TAY

CHILDREN keen on sports can sign up for a brand new club – the Singapore Sports Council’s (SSC) Sport On! Kids Club.

Launched earlier this month, the club targets kids aged 3-12, and aims to promote sports as an active and healthy lifestyle choice.

But what’s the difference between the club and other programmes by local sports associations, such as the Singapore Athletics Association’s (SAA) athletics programmes for kids aged 5-13?

In a word, fun.

Ms Tan Bee Lian, SSC’s assistant director (youth sports development division, sports culture, sports marketing group), said that the club wants to highlight the fun factor in the sports activities it organises.

Organised according to monthly themes, such activities focus less on competition and more on participation in an active lifestyle.

For example, in “Kungfu Power!” next month, the kids get to try out martial arts such as wushu, aikido, chanbara, muay thai and capoeira.

Parents who signed their children up for the club told my paper that the fun factor appealed to them.

Mr Chiong Hian Beng, 39, signed up his nine-year-old son, Shao Beng, for the club two weeks ago.

His son had previously tried taekwondo and swimming at community centres, but he found the lessons tedious and stressful.

Said the marketing director: “This club places more emphasis on fun, and he can choose different activities which interest him.”

Kids love the activities too.

Said eight-year-old Darren Se, who participated in “Soccer with a Splash!” last Saturday: “It was very hard to kick the ball. We got very wet but it was fun.”

The membership fee for a child is $20 and members get to participate in activities free-of-charge or at a discounted rate.

Besides sports, members can also participate in sports photography and journalism workshops.

Sports associations welcome the new club.

Said Ms Christina Tay, SAA’s chief executive officer: “This new club provides more choices for parents and also competition for existing players.

“Ultimately, all kids clubs must be set up with a genuine interest to promote sports for kids and must not compromise on safety aspects.”

dawnt@sph.com.sg