Management of Sports Facilities in Secondary Schools in Enugu State, Nigeria
Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology
emilechika@gmail.com
Abstract
This study focused on the management of sports facilities in secondary schools in Enugu State. Using a descriptive survey design, 173 physical education teachers in public secondary schools were sampled through multi-stage sampling. A structured questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.89 was used for data collection. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question while t-test was used to test two null hypotheses at 0.05 significance level. Findings showed that the extent of management of sports facilities in secondary schools in Enugu State was low overall (grand mean = 2.42), with pitches for volleyball, basketball, handball, and sports field for athletics managed to a great extent, while pitches for football, hockey, recreational activities hall, gymnasium, sports/exercise laboratory, and courts for squash, tennis, and badminton were managed to a low extent. No significant difference was found in the opinions of male and female physical education teachers, or between urban and rural teachers, regarding management of sports facilities.
Keywords
Introduction
Management of sports facilities is an important ingredient in any sports programme. Sports seem to be losing steam in almost all secondary schools in Enugu State, partly because of inadequate provision, utilization, and management of sports facilities, equipment, and supplies. Sports is a competitive activity with strict rules and regulations, bounded by space and time, and is often serious business. The level of success of sports programmes in secondary schools—including instructional, intramural, and interscholastic sports programmes—is greatly dependent on the degree of provision, utilization, and management of sports facilities, equipment, and supplies. In Nigeria, sports is recognized as a tool for national mobilization, cultural re-orientation, national integration, and unity. Sports management is the totality of the process by which facilities, equipment, and supplies including human resources are made available and effective for achieving sports goals and objectives.
Importance of Sports Facilities Management
Good sports programmes can function at full effectiveness only when supported with appropriate equipment in good condition. Proper management of available sports materials helps them function well. Most indoor and outdoor facilities are not functioning well due to lack of adequate management, with playgrounds like soccer pitches and handball courts in most Nigerian schools overgrown with grasses. Routine and general maintenance of sports facilities are part of managerial functions, requiring appropriate budgeting, proper supervision, equipment maintenance, and proper arrangement for outdoor activities. Sports facilities and equipment should be periodically inspected and evaluated. Effective management of sports facilities, equipment, and supplies will put the materials in good condition, enabling coaches and directors of sports to properly administer sports programmes. Both male and female physical education teachers can manage sports facilities, equipment, and supplies in secondary schools, as gender does not determine management ability.
Statement of the Problem
The prevailing problem in Nigerian secondary schools in Enugu State is that sports facilities may be declining steadily without school administrators or physical education teachers giving adequate attention to it. The average physical education teacher faces challenges in organizing sports activities not only because of increased student numbers but also due to poor management of sports facilities, equipment, and supplies. The downward trend in sports facilities in secondary schools has continued unabated despite the Federal Government establishing the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) to advance sports facilities management in Nigeria. Many physical education teachers in Enugu State schools lack certain skills in different games such as soccer, volleyball, and table tennis, thereby affecting the utilization of available sports facilities for sports programmes.
Methodology
The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of 323 physical education teachers in 291 public secondary schools in Enugu State (166 rural, 157 urban; 195 male, 128 female). The sample comprised 173 physical and health education teachers selected through multi-stage sampling. A structured questionnaire with a four-point response scale (Very Great Extent, Great Extent, Low Extent, Very Low Extent) was used for data collection. The reliability coefficient obtained using Cronbach Alpha was 0.89. All 173 copies of questionnaire administered were returned, yielding a 100% return rate. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, while t-test was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 significance level.
Results
The research question findings revealed that pitches for volleyball (mean = 2.64), basketball (mean = 2.74), handball (mean = 2.72), and sports field for athletics (mean = 2.50) are managed to a great extent. However, pitches for football (mean = 2.14), hockey (mean = 2.25), recreational activities hall (mean = 2.28), gymnasium (mean = 2.34), sports/exercise laboratory (mean = 2.31), court for squash (mean = 2.39), tennis (mean = 2.36), and badminton (mean = 2.32) are managed to a low extent. The overall grand mean of 2.42 with standard deviation of 0.55 shows that sports facilities are managed to a low extent overall. Hypothesis one testing showed no significant difference between male and female physical education teachers' mean ratings (t = 1.015, df = 171, p = 0.312). Hypothesis two testing showed no significant difference between urban and rural teachers' mean ratings (t = 1.613, df = 171, p = 0.109).
Conclusion and Recommendations
The study concluded that sports facilities in secondary schools in Enugu State are managed to a low extent overall, with some facilities managed better than others. The findings showed that gender and location of physical education teachers do not significantly influence their responses on the extent to which sports facilities are managed. Sports facilities needed for various sports activities need to be managed to a great extent to produce the required results in learners in all sporting activities. Teachers and school administrators need to adopt functional management strategies for sports facilities, equipment, and supplies to protect them for students' use only. Physical education teachers should equally manage sports facilities to give the desired results in schools. Effort must be made to implement the findings of the study in all secondary schools in Enugu State to improve the overall management of sports facilities and enhance students' sporting performance.