How Playing In A Local Sports Club Can Help Build Skills For Life

Joining a local sports club can open your eyes to a new world of opportunities and build skills that will serve you for life.

Playing in a team provides the opportunity for wins that build confidence as well as enough losses that give you empathy and humility. Whether it's honed from years of playing, to a single season with a team, or in the span of a single game, triumph and failure are ever-present. In that way, it has an incredible ability to refine character.

So, in which ways do playing for a local sports club build skills for life?

• You are conditioned to make quick decisions. In netball, once you catch the ball you have three seconds to determine your next move. It trains you to figure out the best option quickly. This is a skill anyone can profit from in their daily life, especially if you tend to dither.

• You become solutions-orientated. You learn ways to overcome problems, from something as simple as hair in your face (bobby pins) to something more complex like poor shooting skills (drills).

• You learn to value teamwork. There's no "I" in team. For team sports like soccer, you'll need to work with others to be successful. It's about supporting each other and avoiding any star complex, as even the most skilful players can't succeed on their own.

• You see the consequences of bad choices. If you do something wrong in a game, such as commit a foul or go offside, the umpire or another player will call you out. This will ingrain your sense of fair play.

• You are forced to be flexible and versatile. You have to adapt to positions to be as useful and efficient as possible. In life, you're often forced to wear various hats, so being able to adapt is crucial.

• You understand the importance of timing. Knowing when to intercept, tackle, pass, etc is crucial. The outcome of a game can be altered by doing something early or late.  Having good timing in life has the same impact on your endeavours.

• You develop resilience. In sport as in life, you get good days and bad days. When things don't go according to plan, you have to suck it up. You don't fall apart and quit. You keep on pushing to improve.

• You get a sense of achievement. Whether you win or lose, you can be proud of your effort and enjoy a rest and reward afterwards. This could mean going back to the clubhouse for a yarn or getting a bite to eat. It teaches you that life is better with balance and a feeling of joy that comes after a hard sweat. 

Overall, playing in a local sports club can work wonders on your personality and help you learn about yourself. Sport provides many life lessons — you have no choice but to come out of the experience a better person.

KPI Sports believes in the power of sport to make a difference in a person's life. We've been creating custom apparel and equipment for over 20 years and see firsthand the impact it makes on both professional and local sports clubs.

We also offer fully customised uniforms for Football, Netball, Rugby, Cricket and  Basketball that can be created in your club colours and matching design. Or you can choose from one of our existing templates for a fresh design this season. 

Our passion is helping teams play to their full potential. Although we specialise in teams and clubs throughout Australia, Oceania and the United Kingdom, we remain Australian-owned and operated. Australian clubs can also access club pricing by getting in touch with us.