Over the past 20 year there has been much speculation as to the sports in which children participate in during their school years, for example why girls do not complete football in physical education classes, and why boys do not complete netball, a sport stereotypically played by women, due to the perception that male players are either gay or cross-dressers, (Tagg.B, 2008.) The aim of this assignment will be to discover whether the provisions for hockey in both primary and secondary school for different genders, affect participation levels. This is a very important issue as a lack of provisions in early life may lead to low participation levels, therefore reducing the number of teams playing in the different leagues, leading the a decrease in hockey across the country.
Throughout the education system, it is well know that boys do not have the opportunity to participate in hockey, during physical education lessons, while it is part of the national curriculum for girls, this therefore leads to questions of why there are so many more men’s teams when compared to the number of women’s teams, when playing at club level. For example Leek Hockey Club, whose men’s 1st team currently play in the North National League, have seven men’s teams, while they only have five women’s teams, whose 1st team currently play in the Midlands regional league, (Leek Hockey Club, 2010.)
It has been claimed that the foundations of hockey lay within the education system as it aids in teaching the basic skills, but also in providing the correct attitude, while combining it with fun, enjoyment and enthusiasm, (Bryant C.A, 1969.) This gives a clear indication of just how important provisions at school are in ensuring that players are involved in hockey with the correct attitudes and basic skills, therefore showing the children who are either not given the opportunity,
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