Give him a child until they were seven, suggested Aristotle, and he would show you the man. Fortunately, we’re more inclusive now, but the principle holds. Put a child in an inspiring, positive learning environment and they can thrive.
Which brings us neatly to our recent Sportacular, an event designed to introduce Edge Hill’s fantastic sports resources to some of the very youngest members of our education system. As an add-on, our sports facilities will now also become very familiar to over 250 teams from across the North West, with the news that, from 2025/26, the West Lancashire Junior Football League will be making its home base at EHU.
The Sportacular was organised by final year sports students, in partnership with Everton FC’s Tackling the Blues programme. Around 180 primary school students from the local area were invited onto campus for a day of multi-sports.
Tackling the blue skies that graced the day, sports management students students Sofia Tzima and Jack Leaver talked to us about the hurdles they had to clear:
“The overall aim was to raise awareness of physical activity, with a focus on mental health,” explains Jack. “After every sport that we play, we show them what it means to play, what emotions they get out of this sport compared to how they would normally feel.”
“We’ve been outside in the morning, and we did orienteering, a treasure hunt, finding emotions, continues Sofia. “Kids were able to run around and do a little treasure hunt. They wrote down all their emotions, which they actually found fun.”
The children also tried their hands at tag rugby and boccia, a paralympic sport similar to bowls, using softer balls. But were the kids alright?
“The kids enjoyed it, and it wasn’t too much,” says Sofia. “Orienteering’s very simple but the kids can have fun with it. We’ve done boccia, and loved it. We thought why not introduce it to the kids. And then we’ve got tag rugby outside, and they’ve loved that as well.”
Event management is part of their courses, but this one is a voluntary activity, designed to give Sofia, Jack and the rest of their team more real-world experience as they take that leap into the job market. What have they learned?
“The hardest part for me was the logistics of it,” admits Jack. “The timetabling, the organising. You’ve got 170 kids coming, and you’ve got to get them from one place to another, and they’re all energetic and constantly moving around. So timetabling it, to know where they need to move, at what time. That’s the hardest part of it because they can do anything, they’ve got that much energy.”
Sofia agrees:
“I’d say the planning has been challenging. When I was doing my assignment, there was so much research that says what you need to do, what you can’t do, and all the hurdles that you’re faced with. But it’s also been fun, and working alongside everyone has been amazing.”
That would include the team from Everton in the Community, teachers (“The teachers have got a smile on their faces. It gives them a chance to relax during the activities. They’ve just enjoyed the day as it is,” says Jack), and their own tutors, such as senior lecturer in sport management Dr Tom Duffell.
So what’s next for Sofia and Jack?
“I’ve got a job lined up in September, so I’m really excited,” says Sofia, who enjoyed a placement with Stoke City during her studies. “And I’m also going to be back working at Stoke City, when I can, doing coaching sessions. I’ve worked with kids from all ranges. I’ve worked with the community, a bit like Everton in the Community. And I’ve been able to manage the academy side of football. It’s been really fun, and it helps me get a bit more experience in the sport.”
Jack took on marketing responsibilities for the Sportacular, raising its profile within schools. He’s now eyeing up a future in that direction:
“My dad worked in sport and leisure marketing. I always looked at what he did and found it fascinating. I thought it would be a good place to work. The combination of a bit of marketing within a sport context made this course perfect for me. The course provides a lot of opportunities to work with employers, and you can develop those relationships after graduation. I’d like to do a bit of travelling first, though.”
Sport is an ideal gateway to the adult world, introducing young people to concepts such as competition and teamwork, while embracing its emotional aspects, and the self-knowledge that brings. With the Sportacular, Sofia, Jack and the team have attempted to build an event that reflects all these elements, without forgetting the one thing that came up repeatedly during our conversation: above all, sport should be fun.
Find your place in our team of sport students
____________________________________________________________________
Find your sport at Edge Hill University: check out the facilities on your doorstep
Swimming pool
A 25-metre pool with six lanes, each with a starting block and optional turning board.
Sports halls
Three four court sports halls with spectator galleries (a double sports hall in the Sports Centre building and one hall in the Wilson building).
Gymnasium
A gymnasium located in the Wilson Building with a wooden sprung floor and spectator gallery.
Dance studio with sprung floor
Designed for reduced impact our dance studio with sprung floor is used for a wide range of activities and classes.
Athletics track
Eight-lane floodlit competition standard track with 2 x 10 lane straights and full field events.
Grass pitches
This includes five high quality grass pitches (one track infield) for football and rugby.
3G football/ rugby pitch
IFA 1* full sized floodlit football pitch suitable for high level football. With 3G synthetic grass, team dugouts and three small pitches across its width. The World Rugby accredited surface has union markings and removable posts suitable for training and matches.
3G football courts
Three floodlit football courts, each 40m x 20m with fixed recessed goals and 3G long pile synthetic grass, suitable for small-sided football. Also accredited surface for rugby training.
Hockey pitch
A full-sized floodlit pitch with short pile carpet of national match play standard. Marked with three small-sided football pitches across the width of the pitch.
July 15, 2025
