Lockdown has made children appreciate exercise, research shows
The research is part of Sky Sports' campaign with the Youth Sport Trust to support National School Sport Week at Home
Last Updated: 20/06/20 7:42am
Four million young people in the United Kingdom say they plan to do more sport and exercise as they come out of lockdown and return to school, according to new research published by children's charity the Youth Sport Trust.
The new data, which has been published to mark the start of the Sky Sports-backed National School Sport Week at Home, shows that one consequence of weeks of lockdown has been that many young people now see sport and physical education as more important to their lives.
Starting on Saturday, families and schools across the country are set to put on their own virtual sports days and weeks as part of National School Sport Week at Home in an effort to make up for the millions of young people missing out on a school sport day this summer.
The Youth Sport Trust has teamed up with Sky Sports on the campaign which is aiming to help young people capture the enjoyment, competition and camaraderie they have lost through missing regular sport.
Sky Sports managing director Rob Webster said: "At Sky Sports we are all passionate about sport and the power it has to unite people.
"National School Sport Week at Home will help inspire schoolteachers and families all across the country to help get children active. We are delighted to be able to help supercharge the campaign."
The new YouGov research, commissioned by the Youth Sport Trust and carried out in early June on children aged from 6-15, found that 51 per cent of young people will now do more sport and exercise than they did before the lockdown.
Meanwhile, 37 per cent of them said they now consider physical education, sport and exercise to be more important to them than they did before lockdown.
Youth Sport Trust chief executive Ali Oliver said: "This research offers a timely reminder of the important role that sport and physical education have to play in helping young people cope with the impact Covid-19 has had on their physical, social and emotional development.
"Young people are telling us that they are missing their friends and worried about how they will be able to see them. Being active is one of the things that has helped them during lockdown and, perhaps as a result, many now see this as being more important and want to do more of it.
"As we help young people to recover and start to establish a new normality, it will be vital that schools, families and sports clubs have the support and guidance they need to ensure all young people benefit from the positive impact good quality physical education and school sport brings to their wellbeing."
