Exercising on your own can be enjoyable, but it’s better when there’s a group of you, and you are more likely to keep going too!

What do you enjoy doing that you think your friends might too?  Is it a walking to school group, or kicking a ball around after work?  What activity did you enjoy at school and wish you could do now? 

 

Many of your friends or people at work might be thinking the same. All it takes is the idea and a bit of courage to ask. Liz did it!

Sh*t netball came about because me and my friend were talking one day about how we would really like to play netball but were too rubbish to join existing netball groups.  She said – “what we need is sh*t netball”. So we decided to set it up.

It’s about having a bit of fun, in a social, supportive environment where no one will judge you.

 

The rules are:

• You don’t need to be any good – in fact if you are any good it’s probably not for you.
• Absolutely everyone is welcome (men and women, any age).
• You can just turn up.
• Come to have fun.
• Minimal rules.
• Minimal positions – everyone shoots, everyone defends.
• No competition – we play a game but we don’t keep score.
• Take it at your own pace – sit out whenever you want.
• Clap/encourage everyone.

How did they do it?

To get things off the ground, there are 4 things you should think about:

• Who you think would be interested in joining you?.
• Where are you going to meet?
• How will you keep in touch with your group?
• What will your group name be?

Who

Think about who might enjoy and want to take part in what you are organising.  Start by mentioning your idea to one of them, if they want to join you, ask them if they know anyone else would like to join and give them the phone number or email address and best way to let you know.

Where

You are more likely to keep people in the group if they like wherever it is you have chosen to meet and to do whatever activity you have planned. 

So, the things to think about are:

• If you are walking or running, are the roads safe?  Is the place you meet well-lit at night and comfortable for people to wait at when they arrive?
• If people are driving there, is there car parking?
• Will it be suitable for anyone with any health issues or disabilities, that wants to take part?

How to keep in touch

• If you use a mobile, WhatsApp groups are great for setting up groups and keeping others up to date.
• If you don’t use a mobile,  it might be handy to have somewhere you can leave a simple poster, like a church hall (but do remember to take it down if you change your plans!).

Your group’s name

People love a name; it helps them feel like they belong.  Kevin’s kickaround?  Jayshree’s joggers?  Wendy’s walkers? 

 

Need help?   Contact us and we can put you in touch with someone who has done this already.

 

If your group takes off and you book a venue or start charging people to cover your costs, then you will need to think about insurance and safeguarding. 

 

There is lots of guidance on this site you can make use of, or take a look at our events and training page to see how we can help.