Outdoor Learning and Play
5 Benefits Of A Multi Use Games Area
In recent times, you've probably seen the term MUGA being thrown around, with people saying that MUGAs and MUGA surfacing are the best way for kids to experience a wide range of sports.
From recreational football to competitive hockey, standard MUGA courts allow children to experience all forms of sports without being restricted by weather or equipment.
In this article, we'll explore what MUGAs are and what benefits they can provide your school.
What does MUGA stand for?
MUGA is an acronym that stands for Multi Use Games Area. 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.
In the past 15 years, we've noticed a huge increase with the amount of schools who are looking to get a MUGA pitch or court installed on their school premises. The main reason is due to the versatility offered by these fantastic games areas.
However, many schools are not aware of the many benefits the installation of a MUGA pitch into their outdoor learning environment can bring. A multi use games area can provide a school with a lot of vital benefits and it's important for all schools to know this.
But, before we talk about the benefits of a multi use games area, it's important to know what a multi use games area actually is.
What is a Multi Use Games Area?
A Multi Use Games Area is an outdoor area that is usually contained within fencing and has built in game equipment. 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:
The ability to customise your MUGA allows your school to focus on certain sports. The most common Multi Use Games Area that you will see is a MUGA pitch or a MUGA court. Both of these Multi Use Games Areas allow multiple sports to be played.
With the Surface types that Pentagon offer, Multi Use Games Areas are weather resistant, meaning no matter the weather conditions, your Multi Use Games Area won't be damaged by it.
The Benefits of Multi Use Games Areas
Having a Multi Use Games Area at your school can provide a wide variety of different benefits. From our research and experience, we have compiled the 5 main benefits you can expect to get from your MUGA.
MUGAs Are 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.
If your MUGA surfacing is solid, it won’t become hard and cracked during warm weather and won’t flood and become the care takers biggest, muddiest nightmare during poor weather. If your MUGA surfacing is soft, like artificial grass surfacing, the surface will be able to drain and remain in great condition throughout the summer months.
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.
Multi Use Games Areas are Maintenance Free
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 MUGA surface types 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.
Wet pour surfaces, polymeric surfaces and synthetic grass surfaces are able to stay maintained for years without any work done to it.
This benefit is usually the main selling point of our MUGA sports pitches as schools get tired of maintaining natural grass sport areas and want a MUGA surface that requires no maintenance.
As well as this, children can carry on playing different sports without having to use their school jumpers as football posts during play time as the sports markings are there to stay.
MUGAs Can Increase Your Income
It is well known that many schools are receiving less and less money each year, making a lot of schools think of creative solutions to provide new areas to play football, basketball and other sports. With the MUGA, different sports can be played within the same area, without costing a fortune!
Now, some people may think ‘how on earth can a MUGA be an investment?’. Well, there are many people involved in sporting teams and sports clubs in your community.
These teams and clubs 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. Doing this can make MUGAs incredibly cost effective and a great way to generate more income.
Schools can even put a small charge on after school clubs and introduce sporting holiday clubs like leisure centres do, which are sure to be popular, and ensure the MUGA sports pitch pays for itself.
A lot of 5 a side football teams often love playing on a MUGA pitch, which allows your school to gain a stronger income source.
The Physical Benefits of MUGAs
Installing a dedicated sports facility 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 other skills
As a MUGA pitch allows for multiple sports to be played on it, teachers can easily change the sport to target certain physical aspects and help children focus on developing these areas. Whether it's primary schools or secondary schools, MUGAs can help student's develop a wide variety of physical skills.
When children do physical activities on a MUGA surface, the surface often helps children stay safe. MUGAs that are surfaced with Pentagon Play's artificial grass have shock absorption technology, helping reduce the chances of any serious injury occurring.
No matter what sports surfacing is used, Pentagon Play's MUGA sports area is designed to put safety first, keeping your children active and avoiding any serious injuries.
MUGAs Provide Enhanced Sporting Provision
A MUGA sports 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.
With time moving forward, schools have faced the problem of limited space due to the environment around them changing a lot. Limited space can make schools a lot more cautious with purchases as they deserve equipment that can serve multiple purposes.
Schools can use their multi use games area to introduce their children to various sports including:
- Hockey
- Netball
- Basketball
- Football
- Volleyball
- Tennis
Additionally, a primary sport and a secondary sport 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, sports 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.
Reap the Benefits of a MUGA Today!
From synthetic turf surfaces to macadam surfaces, a MUGA provides numerous advantages and benefits to not only it's users, but to the schools that have them installed. Having a sports facility like a MUGA is always a great investment to make.
There are a range of different MUGA surface option and MUGA fencing options for you to choose from to customise the space to meet your needs and wishes exactly. You can make the MUGA pitch cost as little or as much as you'd like, making it budget friendly.
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.
