Bolton: Children more active than before Covid-19 says Sport England

A survey carried out by Sport England found that 51 per cent of children in the borough were classed as active in the 2021-22 academic year. This means they did an hour or more of activity per day.

That figure is up from 48 per cent in the pre-pandemic 2017-18 academic year.

The Active Lives survey is carried out in schools across the country annually.

Of the 173 children who responded to last year's survey, 29 per cent were classed as fairly active, meaning they did between 30 minutes to an hour of activity per day, while 20 per cent did less than half an hour.

Children are more active in Bolton than pre pandemic (Image: Contributed)

The increase certainly rings true for Mark Edgar, who is on the committee for the Bolton, Bury and District Football League (BBDFL).

“The BBDFL is the biggest league in England and it’s growing. There over 1,000 teams playing now.

“When I joined the committee three years ago there were 55 under sevens teams. Now that group are in the under 10s league and there are 85 teams.

“Not only is that more teams, but the number of players in each team goes up from five to seven to nine.

“Last year our under sevens league had 82 teams in it and now its 96. It’s growing year-on-year.”

Mark also runs youth teams at Turton Tigers. He says five years ago there were just four Tigers youth teams and now there are 21.

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He also says he has enough players to field five under sevens teams, but only has the capacity to run two.

“The problem now is that there aren’t enough coaches and facilities.

“We try and get parents involved but you have to get qualified which can take around six months.”

Perhaps the most marked increase in participation is among girls.

There are approximately 260 players who make up the 21 Turton Tigers junior teams (Image: Turton Tigers)

Mark added: “Girls’ football has absolutely exploded. There are so many teams in this league and there’s more coming all the time. We get transfers from other leagues every week.

“It’s great for the BBDFL and it’s great for girls’ football and it’s great for the Bolton area.”

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Sport England said the results of its Active Lives survey show a positive increase in children and young people in England taking up sports but added there is still "more to do".

Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England chief executive, said: “This overall growth is positive but there’s more to do to help children and young people from all backgrounds enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity.

"That’s why we will advocate for children and young people, particularly those facing inequalities and less likely to take part in sport and physical activity, to be given a voice in decisions which affect their experiences to help ensure that those experiences are positive."

Sports minister Stuart Andrew said: "It is very encouraging to see a surge of children and young people returning to enjoy the benefits of physical activity since the pandemic. But I am clear that more still needs to be done."

Mr Andrew added that £230 million will be invested in grassroots facilities and developing a new sports strategy.

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