52 Extreme Sports Club

Synthesis of the case study

The project took place during the winter months due to the rise in complaints regarding anti-social behaviour within the town centre and due to the lack of skateboarding opportunities for young people. Engagement within the summer months took place in the local outdoor skate park. The sessions took place every Wednesday night during winter and consisted of two and a half hours worth of provision per session. The purpose of the session was to formalise and to provide structure to what the young people were already doing, therefore the session was split into two distinct sections; coaching and free recreational play. The Adventurous team located within the Sports Development Team delivered the skateboarding provision by taking portable equipment, providing coaching and encouraging free recreational use. The initiative was branded as the Extreme Sports Club, in order to bring other urban sports such as parkour under the banner of this club, as this too was causing problems within the Town Centre. The Sports Development team attended the Town Centre Management team meetings which proved crucial in discovering the information relating to the complaints of anti social behaviour in the car park and the town centre. Consultation took place in the summer months prior to winter, in order to provide more feedback to the Sports Development team.