Discover how you can use OS Greenspace to find new places where you can play sports.
Taking part in sports is one of the best ways to keep active, stay fit and be healthy. There is nothing quite like the adrenaline of competing against other people, testing yourself both physically and mentally and (hopefully) finishing victorious!
There are many sports to choose from. Even 'solo' sports can be fantastic socially, by competing against friends and family, or discover a team sport to make new friends. With so many sports out there, get involved with your feet, a racket, a bat, a ball , a bike, a boat, a pair of goggles…
In urban areas especially, there are more opportunities than ever before to get involved, to improve your skills and try something new. With the launch of our free Greenspace layer in OS Maps, finding them has never been easier.
Football
Originating in Britain and played around the world, you will find it difficult to walk through a park and not see a football being kicked. For many, the excitement of the weekend is not for two days off work, but the eagerness of playing in a match with your teammates against an opposition.
The Greenspace layer in OS Maps makes it easier than ever before to find places to play football. For the season ahead, you can easily find playing fields for pitches in your area, where you can select the most suitable locations and then contact the groundkeepers for availability. Additionally, you can effortlessly find access points for carparks to let your team know where to go on away games.
You may also need to find greenspaces to hold training. In the summer months when the days are longer, you can use the layer to find playing fields and parks to put down your cones and run training drills. Then when its pitch black before you have even finished work in the winter months, you can use the layer to find sports facilities, including indoor gyms and outdoor floodlit pitches.
Golf
Looking to become Britain’s next Major winner? Finding golf courses is as simple as striking a ball off a tee, with their own dedicated colour (light green) on the greenspace map. Look for golf courses local to you or discover new ones within a distance that you are happy to travel to broaden your skills. The golf course identification is also great if you’re looking to go on a golfing holiday: search for courses around where you’re going and put together a list of ones to play at.
Athletics
Start your Olympic journey! In OS Maps the Greenspace layer defines athletics facilities under Sports in yellow. Whilst it doesn’t specifically show athletics as its own category, if you zoom into the map you will be able to clearly see the outline of athletic tracks, which you can then search for in your internet browser and see what clubs and teams you can join, train and compete for.
Sports Facilities
The Sports category, shown in yellow on the greenspace map is made up of a number of different places where you can keep fit and healthy, including leisure centres, swimming pools, tennis courts, bowling greens and sports grounds for rugby and football. Whilst you may not have full access to some of these without needing to pay to get in or a membership, they are all accessible to the public in one way or another. All you need to do is find the location on the map, search for it on the internet and see what the place offers and how much it will cost to use.
With the Greenspace layer in OS Maps offering so many opportunities find ways to stay fit and healthy, what new sport are you going to learn?
