April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50

OPERATIONS
Bring Play Equity to Your Community
By Brittany Clarahan
T
here has been a growing movement in recent years to level the
playing field when it comes to youth access to sports and recreation
opportunities.
According to research by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association,
children ages 6 to 12 from households with annual incomes of
$100,000 and higher are 16 percent more likely to participate in sports than
those from households with annual incomes of $25,000 or less. For youth
ages 13 to 17, that figure climbs to nearly 20 percent.
Another study, published by Active
Living Research, found that
more than 70 percent of African
American and Hispanic neighborhoods
nationwide lacked recreational
facilities, compared to just
38 percent of white neighborhoods.
At the same time, an American
Institutes for Research evaluation
of the U.S. Soccer Foundation's
Soccer for Success program and Safe
Places to Play mini-pitch initiative
found that 88 percent of youth participants
work better on a team, 86
percent avoid anti-social behaviors,
and 72 percent try harder in school.
Given these disparities, coupled
with the benefits that youth participation
delivers, it's important for communities
to find ways to increase play
equity and recreation inclusivity.
Making an Impact
One way to boost youth sports participation
is to increase opportunities
by investing in places to play.
Whether it's adding or upgrading
facilities, or both, investing in sports
lighting expands play beyond daylight
hours, and revitalizing unused
space with high-quality equipment
creates new opportunities altogether.
To get started, it's important to
be equipped with the right questions,
including:
* What kinds of activities would best
achieve play equity and inclusion?
* Do you have unused areas that
could host a new facility or
equipment?
* Would a new facility or equipment
allow for youth to have a
voice in sports programming?
* Do you envision lighting being
included and could neighbors be
affected by spill light or glare?
* What kind of training might be
possible to prepare coaches for
expanded programming with a
new facility?
* Are there grant programs that
could help offset costs?
Additionally, you'll want to look
into potential facility solutions capable
of meeting all of your needs. This
brings additional considerations.
How complicated will installation be?
Is the equipment durable? How inclusive
is it? For example, will it meet
standards set forth by the Americans
with Disabilities Act? Can it adapt to
a variety of sports and activities?
One recent success story of a comWhen
city leaders in
Spanish Fork, Utah,
moved ahead with
the construction of a
new sports complex,
they were committed
to adding lighting, but
needed a system that
would be cost effective
and that would avoid
disturbing nearby
homes with intrusive
spill light and glare.
50 Parks & Recreation | APRIL 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
munity closing the play equity gap is
Spanish Fork, Utah. When city leaders
moved ahead with the construction
of a new sports complex, they
were committed to adding lighting,
but needed a system that would be
cost effective and that would avoid
disturbing nearby homes with intrusive
spill light and glare.
Ultimately, Spanish Fork found a
state-of-the-art LED lighting system
for the new complex's baseball/softballfields
and pickleball courts that
achieved all of its goals. The lighting
provides necessary light levels for a
safer playing environment, achieves
a 75 percent reduction in energy
consumption, and has enabled the
community to expand recreational
opportunities well beyond the daylight
hours.
Brittany Clarahan is the Partnership
Program Manager at Musco Lighting
(brittany.clarahan@musco.com).
PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSCO LIGHTING

April 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023 - Parks & Recreation

April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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