At Center Parcs there are a wide range of competitions and tournaments available for the whole family to join in and be involved in. This blog is going to explore the sporting tournaments and which ones offer the best value for money:
Lads & Dads Soccer
This is perfect for any young footballer who wants to show their parent how it is done, or vice versa, a parent wanting to knock their child down a peg or two. Although this is named lads & dads obviously mothers, daughters, granddads, aunties and so on, can join in.
The sessions are run for an hour and there is a maximum of 20 people on the session. In peak periods this will get booked up so make sure you make your booking early. If you’re not holidaying in peak periods it’s probably better to wait until you arrive. This way you can check numbers and find out how many other people are participating. Center Parcs can be known to cancel a tournament late so take my advice and check on the morning of the event.
The tournament is light-hearted and the staff are aimed towards helping the children out more than the adults. If there is a 50:50 decision it is likely it will be given to the child. Some people can take this tournament too seriously and get a little up tight but the majority of dads will be there, just like yourself, to have a kick about with their kids.
The teams are split into families and the tournament is run with each team playing each other once, a final and a third/ fourth place play-off. This is a great activity for adults to have a laugh with their children and enjoy competing as a team, with each other, or against each other.
Lads & Dads Cricket
Again this is brilliant for an aspiring cricketer to smash their dad for 6 or bowl him out for a golden duck. Additionally once again, despite the name, this is aimed at anyone who wants to play cricket with their child.
This session is slightly longer than the football session at 2 hours long, despite being the same price, £7 each. So if you’re looking for value for money or something that is more likely to wear the kids out, this is probably it.
Again depending on peak time should motivate the time at which you choose to book. This minimum the session will be run with is 8 people, so if this is the case you will still have to participate or lose your money if you choose you don’t want to play with that many people.
In peak times there are 2 evening sessions every Thursday and Saturday and these are almost always packed with 26 people in each. Staff split the teams differently but a usual way is to split into batting pairs, have a certain number of over’s each, 2 innings and the winning batting pair wins.
This is a great laugh and something that you can really enjoy together. Again most parents are friendly and will bowl slowly to smaller children. The aim is for the kids to enjoy themselves whilst learning a few cricketing skills along the way.
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