Thoughts From The Field Of Play

by Ian Braid - DOCIAsport

What has being involved in sport and doing physical activity given me and what can it offer others?

I haven’t really given time to consider how I personally have benefitted or what I’ve learnt from sport because that’s all in my subconscious. But I did have an opportunity to reflect on this recently because of my voluntary role on the steering board of TackleLondon I went into the Meridian school in New Addington in Croydon to talk to students about careers in sport.

This didn’t go the way I anticipated and had prepared for, but it was a day of great learning for me – and hopefully some of the students too.

TackleLondon is a project funded by the Mayor’s office under the New Deal For Young People initiative. My involvement comes through the Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation  (MRRF) set up to honour the legacy of a serving police officer tragically murdered by a young man in Croydon 5 years ago.

MRRF is a partner in TackleLondon which works in areas of deprivation using the power and the values of rugby in practical sessions that also enable the coaches to mentor the children and young people.

Although I have been involved in TackleLondon for just over a year, Friday was the first time that I had had the opportunity to go into one of the areas we work in and meet children and young people we help in their environment.

Friday morning was the last morning before the half term break and was a non-uniform development day. The good news was it was a ‘no lessons’ day: the bad news, they couldn’t wait until lunchtime and the end of this half term.

Although I was asked to talk about careers in sport that wasn’t how my time panned out, and a different approach was needed. All the students have their lives in front of them – a step into the unknown. I asked the students how old they thought I was, and answers ranged from 53 to 84!

At least they clearly recognised that the majority of my life is in the rear-view mirror. I therefore decided to give them an insight into the world of work and life, more broadly through some good and bad experiences I have lived through. Many of these 13 and 14 years old had no idea about what a career or job looked like for them after school, and I realised that at their age I had no plans either.

But what I also realised was that I did have sport, in my case rugby, and that unwittingly participating in the game and joining my local club laid the foundations of my own personal development.

Playing the game and especially senior rugby from a young age put me into areas outside of my comfort zone, physically and mentally imbuing in me values that have stayed with me through the years. I also captained the Colts (U18) which gave me a seat on the committee, and I learnt about leadership, teamwork, and volunteering.

My sessions developed as the morning progressed because I had to adapt and respond to what I saw and be very much led by the feel of the classroom and the questions I was asked.

But key themes emerged in my presentation – about being resilient, overcoming unexpected setbacks, taking on challenges by looking and asking for support from people I knew were on my side and who I could rely on.

What I also spoke about was what is important to me – my values – and I asked the students to work in pairs and think about what theirs were because they would take them with them into the future.

This was a hard morning, but I realised that it was harder for the teachers and perhaps even more challenging still for the students to live in their world fraught with the societal challenges of their local communities.

Whether the student had special educational needs or emerging talent in a particular subject or sport, it didn’t and doesn’t matter, the challenge was and is personal for the students; to be the best version of themselves – the vision of Meridian school – and they need help to achieve that.

This is where Tackle London plays a part by creating a trusted environment for the students to become involved in, where they are taught about teamwork, respect, inclusion, discipline, and sporting values through our coaches who also act as adult mentors.

Our aim is to get as many of the students involved in our programme as possible to transition into local clubs where their learning and growth using life skills can continue to grow positively.

The temptation through peer pressure is either to do nothing but ‘chill’ or perhaps worse, drift into the gang culture all too obviously present in New Addington.

I left feeling grateful for my life, family and education and was reminded that I have been privileged and been given the chance to seize opportunities as my life has progressed. I also realise that privilege doesn’t give entitlement, it gives responsibility. It is why being involved in TackleLondon is so important to me and I left Croydon motivated to do more if I can.

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