Two Cities Vie for the Friendly Games in 2018

Logo credit:
Commonwealth Games
Federation

The host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) this Friday, November 11, 2011 at 6pm local time from Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.  In the running are two cities, one on the Asian continent and the other on the Oceanic continent. The south coastal Sri Lankan city of Hambantota was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which was reported to have killed a large portion of the town's population.  Their bid for the 2018 Games is part of the major facelift for the city in developing Hambantota as a sports hub, having already hosted matches for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The Australian east coastal city of Gold Coast, located 94km south of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, will be the fifth Australian city looking to host the Commonwealth Games. Australia hosted the Games four times previously, in 1938 (Sydney as British Empire Games), 1962 (Perth), 1982 (Brisbane) and 2006 (Melbourne).

Often referred to as the "Friendly Games," the first Commonwealth Games (then known as the British Empire Games) were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada with 400 athletes from 11 countries competing in six sports and 59 events.  Showing a tremendous growth in participation since those days in Hamilton, the 2010 Games in Delhi, India hosted 71 nations in 17 sports (272 events) for 4352 athletes. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

Who will it be? Watch “live” online when 71 member Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA’s) vote to announce if Hambantota or Gold Coast is the host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

For more information on the Commonwealth Games, please contact SIRC.

Soccer Fever!

If there is one event that is capturing the world's attention right now it is the Euro2012 Soccer Championships!  Fast, furious and very-very action packed, this game has it all.  While watching these elite athletes on the field, it's easy to forget that they were children once, testing out their mettle on their hometown field.   

What are Small-Sided Games? 

Small-sided games(SSG) are any games played with less than eleven-a-side teams.  The objective of small-sided games is a stair step approach for young players to grow into the adult game.

When you see kids playing, remember they are there to have fun, so parents and coaches should try to take it easy with them.  Children are essentially self-oriented and naturally relate to one or two others, not to large groups, that is why many people are seeing the benefits of a small-side soccer game.

Some great reasons for having a small-sided game:

1. More time is spent with the coach
2. Increased playing time
3. More space to be successful
4. Increased contact with the ball
5. Energetic workouts due to increased participation
6. Children have more opportunities to make quality decisions
7. Kids have more fun!

The object of the coaches/parents is to make the soccer experience of every player and their families as enjoyable as possible and to provide and open and fun environment for their kids to run around and play.  Who knows, by introducing a love of the game at a young age, you might be watching one of those kid's grow up to play in a Euro Championship game of their own!

Resources from the SIRC Collection

1. Caruso A. The value of small-sided soccer. Soccer Journal [serial online]. January 1987;32(1):43-45.

2. Chen R, Yi X, Yang S. Experimental Study of Small-Sided Games in Youth Soccer Training. Journal Of Beijing Sport University [serial online]. 

3. Hill-Haas S, Dawson B, Coutts A, Rowsell G. Physiological responses and time-motion characteristics of various small-sided soccer games in youth players. Journal Of Sports Sciences [serial online]. 

4. Jeffreys I. Coaches guide - classifying and using small-sided games for soccer endurance. Performance Conditioning Soccer [serial online]. 

5. Köklü Y. A Comparison Of Physiological Responses To Various Intermittent And Continuous Small-Sided Games In Young Soccer Players. Journal Of Human Kinetics [serial online]. 

6. Rudolf P, Václav B. HEART RATE RESPONSE AND GAME-RELATED ACTIVITY OF YOUNGER SCHOOL-AGE BOYS IN DIFFERENT FORMATS OF SOCCER GAME. Ovidius University Annals, Series Physical Education & Sport/Science, Movement & Health [serial online].

Let kids play!

Most experts agree that Canadian children need to increase their physical activity. We also know that organized sport can help achieve that.  However, concentrating on one sport or putting too much focus on winning may lead to kids dropping out of sport altogether.

A recent survey has shown that the main reason that kids drop out of sport is that they just aren't having fun anymore. While competition definitely has its place, a lot of children may feel unwanted pressure to perform rather than the working on skill development or just enjoying themselves.

Unstructured game time or an increased focus on practice time instead of competition is important in order for a child to:

• Create their own passion for their sport
• Transfer what they are learning into a game
• Prevent boredom and/or burnout
• Give them an opportunity to explore other sports and harness other skills
• Allow them to be social and have fun 

Set realistic expectations for young ones; the opportunity to dribble, pass, or shoot is way more appealing than sitting on the bench or standing in the outfield waiting for the ball to come you. Create skills challenges or mini-games and work them into your practice. Remember to offer encouragement and support if a player doesn't quite get the skill you are trying to teach.

Young children need a positive environment where players can learn the game at their own pace. Focusing on skill development and adding in the fun could make the biggest difference for a child forming a lifelong passion for sport.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Average Canadian kid gets about 8½ hours of screen time a day. Active Living. May 2012;21(3):26.
2. Aylward L. Let the Kids Play. Golfdom. November 2006;62(11):24-31.
3. Barrell M. When Can I Play Again? Getting Kids' Competition Right!. Australian Tennis Magazine: Asia & The Pacific. October 2011;36(10):60.
4. Howe B. Let the kids play...the top reasons why kids drop out of soccer. Down-The-Line. 2001;(4)
5. Melville S. Will kids be kids? Is play something that children do, or is it now something that must be provided for them?. Leisure Manager. August 1997;15(4):35-36.
6. Weinerth J. 4 v. 4: more passes, more fun. Survey shows involvement of players is far greater in small-sided games. Soccer Journal. January 2004;49(1):29-30.
7. Young C. The Importance of Putting the Fun Back In to Youth Sports. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. November 2012;16(6):39-40.