urban sports (special focus)
Image: garryjonesphotography
Skateboard England’s Neil Ellis talks about the potential for the sport in the UK ahead of its Olympic debut in Tokyo next summer.
SKATEBOARDING is a growing sport, with more than 534,000 active participants in England and approximately 750,000 across the UK. It’s also a sport with a strong and growing record in attracting new people into physical activity and, in particular, working effectively with young people and under-represented groups. Skateboarding is very accessible and a fantastic opportunity to engage with hard to reach young people who are turned off by traditional sport and physical activity. The type of youngsters who take up skateboarding tend not to engage with football, cricket, golf, running, cycling, etc. and are currently missing out on the various initiatives being delivered across outcomes by other providers.
vibrant and diverse Skateboarding is a lively, vibrant and diverse scene dominated by a youth population. The majority of skateboarders are aged between 11 and 16 with approximately 85 per cent male participation. That said, skateboarding is providing an increasing number of girls with a channel to engage with sports and activity and has seen a 24 per cent increase in the last year. We’ve also seen a large increase in older
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pactfacilities.co.uk
skateboarders in the last year. According to the Sport England Active Lives survey, in 2016/2017 there were 48,600 skateboarders over the age of 16, in 2017/2018 that number rose to 71,600. Skateboarding is very accessible and relatively cheap to take part in. Skateboarders are mainly from low socio-economic backgrounds and tend to be disenfranchised with education and what is seen as mainstream. The skateboarding community is open to anyone who has a genuine enthusiasm
for skating and an intention to improve his or her personal skill. There are over 1,600 skateparks in the UK;
but the unquantified numbers of skateable areas on the street or in public places are as important, if not more important to the skateboarding community.
passionate and protective The skateboarding community is a vibrant but fragmented group who are very passionate and
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