Workspace sports leagues can boost morale, decrease stress and improve collaboration. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Choose a sport
This may appear to be a simple task, but picking what game to organise will significantly impact how you plan your league.
Assess the general fitness and activity level of potential participants. A more aggressive sport, such as soccer, basketball and rugby, could be worth looking into if you have a particularly sports-orientated workplace.
On the other hand, if you arrange something to be played at lunchtime and don’t want a workplace full of hot, sweaty staff, something like ping-pong could be a better option.
Most workplaces will contain a mixture of die-hard and leisure athletes. If you have a large company, dividing your league into competitive and noncompetitive divisions might be a wonderful way to keep everyone interested.
Consider the expenses
Some sports cost more than others. Keep in consideration your company’s budget when selecting a sport for your league. If you are going to ask players or teams to donate towards their custom rugby kit, you should keep fees modest to remove any potential financial barriers to participation. If you need players or teams to contribute, you will need some sort of way to collect funds. Have something in place, whether it is a simple cash collection at the beginning of the activity or an online registration.
Find somewhere to play.
Choose a gym or a field close to your business premises to make it easy for employees and colleagues to attend. It is even better if you can find space at the workplace to host the game.
Form teams
If you choose a team sport, limit the possibility of drama by forming teams rather than allowing players to form their own. Mix up the departments to allow employees who do not usually spend much time together to connect.
Create a timetable
Again, you want to make it as simple as possible for people to join your league. After-work games can be challenging because many people have families and other obligations,] and not everyone enjoys staying late. Weekends can be considerably more difficult, depending on where your players live and their family commitments.
Lunchtimes and weekday afternoons are usually good times. Most people will gladly take an extended lunch break or leave work early to participate in a game if given the opportunity!
Is your league going to be competitive or recreational? Recreational leagues are set up in a round-robin format, with each team playing every other team at least once. Competitive games can be played in a bracket format with single or double eliminations.
Get your players excited.
The most important thing is to convince your colleagues and staff to join the league. Make as much noise about it as possible. Make flyers about it, remind folks on group messaging apps and tell them about it in person.
Setting up a sports league at work is a great way to build camaraderie and evoke team spirit amongst a workplace. Why not set one up today?
What a great suggestion. Although sports are not everyone’s cup of tea, I think they have an incredible power to bring people together and nurture emotional and social intelligence skills.