Judy Murray says school children should do 40 minutes of PE per day
Tennis coach Judy Murray has called for physical education to be prioritized in all schools in Scotland, announcing the expansion of a program aimed at keeping girls active.
Ms Murray, mother of tennis players Jamie and Sir Andy Murray, emphasized that playing sports develops important life skills such as leadership, endurance and communication, while also providing significant benefits to young people’s physical and mental health.
He advocated at least 40 minutes of exercise a day for young people and made it clear that “physical literacy is as important as numerical and alphabetic literacy.”
This announcement coincides with the growth of his ‘Learn to Lead’ plan. The initiative is designed to equip and empower young girls, enabling them to become Scotland’s future sports leaders by supporting them to set up and run their own lunch and after-school clubs.
Following Sky’s investment, the program can now be implemented in 50 more schools.
A recent report by the broadcaster found that girls aged 11-18 miss 280 million hours of sport each year compared to boys.
It also turns out that playing sports as a child is as strong a predictor of future success as a college degree.
Ms Murray returned to Dunblane Primary School, which both she and her sons attended in their teenage years, on Tuesday to announce the expansion.
Ms Murray said: “Children now live extremely sedentary lives and often spend most of their free time in front of a screen.
“Sports activities not only provide fun and fitness for children and young people, they also provide the opportunity to develop life skills and lifelong friendships in ways that sitting in front of a screen cannot provide.
“Therefore, physical education should be prioritized in all schools in Scotland and all children should be given equal opportunities to participate.”
In addition to encouraging active lifestyles, Murray said she wants her program to help girls develop self-confidence and take on leadership roles.
He added: “Learn to Lead is about inspiring and supporting the next generation of sports leaders, keeping them engaged during the school day and beyond, and perhaps even providing the first step into a career in sport.
“But we also want to create opportunities to build their confidence and self-esteem before they move on to secondary school.
“Leadership opportunities for young people are few and far between. For me, the opportunities to start developing my leadership skills first came from school and having the opportunity to captain the school tennis and hockey teams.
“This is how I started to improve my communication skills, learning how to identify strengths and weaknesses and how to best get my teams to work together.
“The life skills you develop as part of sport are unique and really help prepare you for the challenges adulthood will bring.”
Sky chief sport officer Jonathan Licht said: “As the UK’s leading investor in women’s sport, we are committed to using our platform to increase visibility and drive public engagement.
“The Changing the Game report, published earlier this year, highlights the vital role sport plays in developing self-confidence, communication and teamwork skills that extend far beyond the pitch.
“We are proud to support Judy Murray’s Learn to Live initiative, which aims to help create the next generation of female leaders by providing more girls with the opportunity and resources to engage in sport by doubling the number of schools participating.”
