The 12th Manx Youth Games is all set for Saturday, and the island’s biggest junior sporting event will attract more than 1,000 participants.
Founded in 2002, the games are open to seven to thirteen-year-olds from all corners of the island.
Manx Sport and Recreation’s sport development officer Gianni Epifani explained: ‘For this year we are back to 12 sports, with having crown green bowls. Off the back of that numbers will be up on previous years. We’re looking at 1,200 taking part.’
Regional teams include the South, in orange kit, the West which will wear blue, the red-kitted North, Douglas North in yellow and Douglas South in green.
The National Sports Centre, the traditional home of the games, will host athletics, basketball, hockey, squash, swimming and table tennis, while there will be football at The Bowl, crown green bowls at Noble’s Park, and St Ninian’s Lower School at Bemahague will have cricket, tag rugby and netball.
All competitors will assemble at the NSC around 9am, prior to the opening ceremony out on the athletics track, which will see all 1,200 march on to the track to music for a mass warm up in front of the grandstand crowd including MHKs.
All are welcome to the opening ceremony, which starts at 10am.
‘All year young people have been taking part in sport to train for the games,’ said Gianni. ‘The key for us is they have the chance to join clubs and stay involved.
‘It ticks a couple of boxes, there’s the health benefits, and giving sports a new group of young people to work with.
‘Also the games can act as a platform to compete at a different level. Louise Corkill (hockey player recently named in the England under 21 squad) started at the Manx Youth Games.’
With the aim to be as inclusive as possible, the emphasis will not be on the competitive element.
‘We have tried to stay away from “first, second and third”, it’s about getting them involved and experiencing sport,’ explained Gianni.
‘Then if they want they can join a club, which would be more results based.’
With so many young people involved, it’s a big operation to stage.
‘Without the coaches, volunteers and officials it couldn’t take place, they are an important part of the jigsaw,’ said Gianni.
‘Also HSBC have been involved since the start. The games would look very different without a major sponsor.’
He also appealed for people travelling to Bemahague to consider walking or car-sharing, to avoid car park overflow.
