2022 National School Games B Division Boys Rugby 7s / Photo Credit: Aaron Kong

Did you know that team sports offer many types of benefits? Beyond the obvious physical health and fitness gains, they also improve your mental health, interpersonal skills and even lead to long-term benefits for your self-confidence and wellbeing!

1. Regular Exercise: Training with a team makes it easy to achieve the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week! Regular exercise is also a great habit to form while you’re young and it’ll help you stay healthy for the rest of your life.

2. Teamwork: Playing in a team requires coordination, communication and collaboration. These are important life skills that will help you work well with others and achieve success in and out of the playing arena. The office and the classroom are arenas where teamwork makes the dream work!

3. Communication Skills: Team sports require a lot of verbal and non-verbal communication. From words of encouragement during training to planning for a match, communication is a two way street, and learning skills to deliver the message and listening are critical skills forged in the fun of playing.

4. Critical Thinking: Every match is different, and every opponent has their own strengths and weaknesses. Formulating tactics to tackle the various challenges you encounter will hone your critical thinking skills and make you a better problem solver. Problem Solving is a great skill to develop in children and doing it in a fun and active way through team sports is ideal.

5. Friendship: Joining a team is a great way to meet new people. As you train, overcome challenges, and win or lose together, you will forge strong bonds with your teammates that could last for years to come! Friendships will become social networks you can depend on, from the schoolyard to the board room.

6. Community: Tightly knit relationships are formed beyond the team too. For example, schoolmates rallying together to support their teams fosters a more united school spirit and a sense of belonging.

7. Self-Esteem and Confidence: In team sports, every person plays a part in the overall success of the team. This is a great way to see how you can make a difference, and in turn, build up your self-confidence.

8. Discipline and Perseverance: With every training session, we see our strength, stamina and gameplay improve. This motivates us to keep putting in effort if we want to see progress and results!

9. Sportsmanship: Team sports also teaches us to be gracious whether we win or lose. It’s important to be respectful of others, take defeat in stride and learn to overcome our setbacks. After all, nobody likes an obnoxious winner or a sore loser – and this is true outside of sports too!

10. Stress Management: Exercise releases happy hormones such as dopamines and endorphins, which help us relax, reduce stress and improve our moods. So if you ever feel overwhelmed by school or work, take a mental break and enjoy your training sessions with your teammates!

And there’s no better place than at this year’s National Schools Games, where these benefits are showcased across the variety of team sports being contested at the primary, secondary and junior college levels.  Don’t miss out on the excitement this May with football, rugby, hockey, volleyball and basketball.   Click here to watch the action!