Multi-skill Clubs provide regular opportunities for young people aged 7 to 11 to take part in a wide range of non-sport specific activities outside of school hours, to promote participation and help develop all-round young athletes.
They enable young people to develop fundamental movement and sport skills, such as agility, balance, co-ordination, catching and throwing by allowing them to practice in a non sports-specific environment.
They form part of the player pathway for young people through links to Multi-skill Academies, which build on Multi-skill Clubs and provide additional activities specifically designed for young people who have been identified as gifted and talented.
Multi-skill Clubs bridge the gap between high quality school sport and community sport and provide the first real ‘club’ experience for young people. They are ‘holding tanks’ which can feed community sport clubs with physically literate young people, encouraging school to club links.
Multi-skill Clubs should be open and accessible in every way to all young people and fully inclusive in terms of ability disability, gender and ethnicity. The clubs provide excellent opportunities for young people with disabilities to participate in high quality club environments and form an important part of the Paralympic player pathway.
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Multi-skill Festivals
Multi-skill Festivals should form an integral part of the schools competition framework at key stages 1 and 2 within each School Sport Partnership.
The activities delivered at a Multi-skill Festival are intended to develop the fundamental movement skills of balance, coordination and agility. Festivals provide an opportunity to implement the principles of a high quality competition for young people and can also be used to initiate assessment of ability. Individual activities could be set up each day for young people to challenge themselves and to practice, and can be delivered in Multi-skill Clubs.
Multi-skill Festival resources which include sets of twelve activity station cards for key stages 1 and 2 have been developed by the Youth Sport Trust, to provide ideas and guidance on running a local festival.