Seven Benefits of Playing a Team Sport

Playing a team sport can be the easiest way to ensure you have regular exercise, stay healthy and make new friends.

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Team sports can be exhilarating, as this American women’s sports team discovered. (Image from girltalkhq.com).

 

1. Routine fitness
It’s easy to allow our social or work life to get in the way of exercise, as we promise ourselves we will make up for it later. Playing for a team in a competitive league or competition means you commit to at least one training session and one game, at a set time every week.

When you play a team sport, there is an entire team of people relying on you. So if you don’t show up, you’re not just letting yourself down, but your whole team.

2. Team building
Along with the commitment of being a member of a team comes valuable team building and problem solving skills. In order for a team to succeed, they must have strong communication skills, a good understanding of other members of the team, be respectful, set goals, and overcome conflict.

These are all admirable skills and are entirely transferrable to many other aspects of life, including work and relationships.

3. Social opportunities
As we get older and settle into our careers, we are presented with fewer opportunities to meet new people. Signing up to an extra-curricular activity such as a team sport encourages social interaction with people to whom you automatically have a common interest.

Sporting clubs will often assist with this by encouraging players to head back to the local pub or restaurant after the game, to celebrate, and show support to sponsors of the club.

4. Learn new physical skills
In addition to team building skills, playing a team sport also allows you to set personal fitness goals and work consistently towards achieving them, regardless of age and ability. Seeing improvements throughout the season is incredibly rewarding.

5. Fresh air
Sports such as netball, soccer, field hockey, and oztag to name a few, are all typically played on outdoor courts or fields. Playing an outdoor sport is the perfect excuse to step away from the computer and into some fresh air.

6. Strengthen friendships
Why not sign up with a friend? Life often gets in the way of staying in touch with your nearest and dearest. Playing for the same sporting team as a good friend will not only guarantee a catch up every week, it will also enrich your friendship with new experiences and challenges that you overcome together.

7. Fun
In the end, playing a sport is simply a lot of fun. Combine team bonding, competition, socialising, and all the endorphins released from exercise, team sports deliver endless opportunities of enjoyment.

Georgia Brown

Georgia loves spending her weekends trekking Sydney's iconic coastlines - inevitably with a soy latte in one hand, and iPhone in the other. Aspiring linguist, teacher, and social soccer player in need of a few extra training sessions.

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