Danny Wright, Super Star Sport Midlands Director

Working in early years has taught me something simple but powerful: play shapes children in ways we often don’t see straight away.

It’s easy to think of play as “just fun,” but when you spend enough time around young children, you realise it’s where confidence, resilience, and curiosity are born. I’ve seen children take their first brave steps into movement, try something new, fail, try again, and light up when they finally succeed. Those moments stay with you.

The early years really do set the tone

When I walk into a nursery session, there’s a certain kind of energy, the kind that only young children bring. Wide eyes, tiny hands, wobbly balance, endless imagination. What might look like simple actions to an adult, jumping, rolling, throwing, crawling, are huge developmental steps for them.

In those early years, movement isn’t about sport at all. It’s about discovery.

I’ve watched shy children slowly come out of their shell. Children who struggle to communicate find their voice through activity. Little ones who doubt themselves realise, “I can do this.”

That early spark matters. It can change everything.

Play teaches skills we don’t always give enough credit for

Some of the biggest lessons in life start on a nursery floor:

• working together
• taking turns
• bouncing back after mistakes
• believing in themselves
• learning how to be with others

It doesn’t come from a lecture, it comes from play.

I’ve seen children develop more in 30 minutes of meaningful movement than they sometimes do in a whole day of structured learning. Play gives them the freedom to explore without fear of being wrong.

Movement creates confidence, but play creates joy

The moments that stay with me aren’t the big ones. They’re the tiny wins:

A child who finally jumps with both feet. A nervous little one taking part for the first time. That burst of laughter when an activity really lands. A proud “Look what I can do!” shouted across the hall.

These are the reasons I’ve stayed in early years for so long. These are the moments that remind me why this work matters.

Why I care so much about this work

Even though my role has changed over the years, from being on the floor coaching daily to overseeing quality and programme development at Super Star Sport, the heart of what I do has never shifted.

I still think about those early moments. The little victories. The confidence that starts small and grows with the right support.

Every programme we create, every session we design, every standard we set is about giving children the chance to feel capable, included, and proud of themselves.

Because play isn’t an extra. It’s not a reward. It’s a childhood essential and every child deserves access to it.

And that’s what continues to drive me, every single day.

Danny Wright, Director Super Star Sport Midlands