5 Extensive Benefits of a MUGA In Your School

What does MUGA stand for?

Multi Use Games Areas are becoming increasingly more popular across the UK as schools realise the amazing benefits these versatile resources can bring to their school and their children.

As many schools are not aware of the many benefits the installation of a MUGA pitch into their outdoor learning environment can bring, we thought we’d explore why so many children across the country love them.

First of all... 

What is a Multi Use games area?

A Multi Use Games Area can be defined as just that - a multi use area. They are not football-exclusive pitches, but areas with extensive uses. MUGAs are designed to create a dedicated area for sporting activities including, but not limited to, Netball, Hockey, Basketball and Football.

MUGAs can come in many shapes, sizes and forms and can be installed including many different features, such as:

• Surfaces
• Sport Markings
• Fencing
• Goals
• Storage

These areas enable sports to take place all year long, no matter what the unpredictable weather may bring.

Here are 5 extensive benefits of a MUGA in your school: 

1. All-Weather

Our Multi Use Games Areas are all weather pitches. They can be used in all year round because the surfacing is artificial and free draining, meaning they won’t flood like normal grass, become hazardous and muddy or ruined with constant footfall.

The MUGA surfacing won’t become hard and cracked during warm weather and won’t flood and become the care takers biggest, muddiest nightmare during poor weather.

With a considerable amount of sport baseworks installed before the surfacing is laid over the top, it enables that water to penetrate the surface. Rain water will never pool or cause the ground to become too saturated, resulting in flooding.  

• Firstly, we excavate the existing grass and soil and remove it from your school site.
• We then cover the earth left with a membrane that prevents anything from growing through the surface, including weeds and grass.
• After this, we use compact stone and sand to ensure the final surface is smooth and level.
• Installation of another membrane over the top of this further prevents anything from growing through and allows water to penetrate.
• Finally, we install your chosen sports surface over the top.

By going through this process, you receive a perfect, level, free draining surface which will last for many years to come.

We use nothing but the best, highest quality materials ensuring that your MUGA will be in place for many, many years.

As we are so proud of this, we have a 15 year guarantee on all of our Artificial Grass, meaning your mind can be put to ease knowing the area will be used by thousands of children and many classes.

2. Non-Maintenance

Our Multi Use Games Areas are maintenance free, which has been a fantastic advantage to schools across the UK and a real selling point.

Compared to natural grass, our MUGAs don’t require upkeep. This means that there is no need for grass cutting, yearly line painting, seeding or feeding. Therefore they save the school money and the caretaker time that would be spent maintaining this area of natural grass.

As well as this, children can carry on playing without having to use their school jumpers as football posts during play time as the sports markings are there to stay.

3. Increase Your Income

It is well known that many schools are receiving less and less money each year and that is one reason why schools are opting to invest in a MUGA.

Now, some people may think ‘how on earth can a MUGA be an investment?’. Well, there are many people involved in sporting teams in your community.

These teams would be well and truly thankful to have another area to participate in their chosen sporting activities, where games could be played without cancellation due to a little bit of rain.

MUGA pitches can be rented out to groups and clubs in the community, and the best part is, the school caretaker doesn’t need to hang around waiting to lock up the school as those renting the MUGA don’t need to have access to the school building.

By renting out a MUGA pitch during school holidays and other times of the week/year it isn’t being used, the school gain another source of income that can be reliable - unlike government budgets.

Schools can even put a small charge on after school clubs and introduce sporting holiday clubs, which are sure to be popular, and ensure the MUGA pays for itself.

4. Physical Benefits

Installing a dedicated sporting area into your playground is an amazing way to further develop children’s key physical skills.

This area will develop your children’s physical fitness as they get used to participating in daily physical exercise as they begin to understand and lead a healthy lifestyle: battling the increasing rate of childhood obesity.

As well as this, children will be developing their:

• Fundamental movement skills
• Cardiovascular fitness
• Upper and Lower body strength
• Overall body strength
• Coordination
• Social skills
• Cooperation skills

And many other skills...

The benefits to the children alone are a fantastic reason to install a MUGA into your school grounds.

5. Enhanced Sporting provision

A MUGA pitch saves space on your school grounds while enhancing your sporting provision because of the many sports that can be played all in one space.

Schools can use their multi use games area to introduce their children to a wide range of sports including:

• Hockey
• Netball
• Basketball
• Football
• Volleyball
• Tennis

Additionally, two different games can be taking place on the exact same pitch at the same time as the pitch can be split into two to allow different activities to take place.

Finally, this could be the perfect addition to a school that may have wanted to begin after school clubs and holiday clubs but have never had the dedicated space to do so or the reliability of the weather – a perfect way to create a long lasting sporting legacy in your school.

There are a range of different MUGA surfacing and MUGA fencing options for you to choose from to customise the space to meet your needs and wishes exactly.

Our Multi Use Games Areas can be designed and installed exactly to your requirements and we even manage the entire process from design through to installation. If you’d like to arrange a free consultation, please feel free to Contact Us.