CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Background to the study
Provision and utilization of physical education, facilities and equipmentin secondary school such as ball games, sports courts, weight and exercise rooms, foot ball pitches, arenas, climbing walls and gymnasiainclude not only the effective scheduling, operation and maintenance of such facilities, supplies and equipmentbut also at times planning new structures to keep pace with the demand for participation in physicals education and sports programme of the school. Flynn (2011) opined that order to catch them young Nigeria secondary schools physical education requires a variety ofphysical education facilities, supplies and equipment both indoors and outdoors. The relative needs of the students should be recognized in the planning of facilities, scheduling for their use and the purchase of supplies and equipment need vary according to wide range of factors, including the level of programme or participants, age of the student group, type of activity being offered, number of participants and of course finance.
Abikoye, (2010) stated that provision and utilization of physical education facilities, equipment and supplies are important aspect of physical education and sports management. Excellent programme is the key word in physical education and sports competition and this requires well equipped good play ground for training, standard facilities and equipment are essential pre-requisites to good and impressive performance. Lack of adequate and standard facilities and equipment hampers physical education programmes in many ways.
Adedeji (2010 pointed out that there must be sufficient motivation in the form of attractiveness of facilities, equipment and supplies to captivate students’ interest to participate in games. Facilities and equipment in this country are simply not good enough and arehindrance to physical education. Okomma (2012) stated that effective performance of physical education programmes in secondary schools involve the determination, allocation and proper plans, construction and selection of materials for easier maintenance.Nothing is more embarrassing than a new facility that is a maintenance nightmare because of poor management decisions in design and planning phases of the construction processes.
Cohen (2011) stated that secondary school physical education programme is characterized by individual and life time sports as well as by team game activities. This emphasis, together with the popularity of recreational and inter-scholastic sports and the fact that facilities, equipment and supplies are typically needed for recreational use, there is the need to provide such items for effective utilization in secondary schools. Individual sports are sports that can be played individually. Example of such sports are table tennis, lawn tennis badminton, field and track events Judo Tekwondo while team sports are ball games such as Volleyball, Handball, Basketball, Football, Cricket Hockey etc.
Provision and utilization of sports facilities and equipment in secondary school P.E activities as they affect school sports programme is an applied programme which focuses on ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the utilization of human, materials, monies and machines. Jamerson (2010) states that facilities determine to a large extent the quality of the environment where the intramural activities take place. This statement may imply that the success and excellence in school sports program hinges on the adequate provision of facilities and equipment. In the same vein, facilities and equipment should be maintained for their durability.Buzzle (2012) affirmed that any school whether new or old, whether small or big needs to run their physical education programmes smoothly and achieve the goals and objectives which it has set for itself. For this to happen, they must develop and provide their own management concepts,there are basically four management concepts that allow any school to take control of its destiny. These four concepts of management are: Planning, organizing, leading/directing and controlling. Planning in physical education, school programme is the foundation pillar of P.E management. It is the base upon which all other areas of management are built. Planning requires administration to assess where the facilities and type of equipment are to be provided. It also es the situation of school sports programme now and where it would be in the upcoming year. From there, an appropriate course of action is determined and implemented to attain the school goals and objectives.
In physical education programme, planning is an unending course of action. There may be sudden strategies to be implemented when facing crisis. There are external factors that constantly affect a school both positively and negatively depending on the conditions a school may have to alter its course of action in accomplishing certain goals. This kind of preparation or arrangement is known as strategic planning. In strategic planning the physical education specialists analyses internal and external factors that may affect the school physical education programme of the school, its objectives and goals. Here, they will engage in a study of strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis).
This second function of management is to organize. Management must organize all its resources before hand to put into practice the course action which has been decided upon in the base function of planning. In this case, management will now determine the inside directorial configuration, establish and maintain relationships and also assign required resources. While determining the inside directorial configuration, P.E managers ought to look at different division or departments during planning and provision of physical education facilities and equipment. They must also ensure the harmonization of staff and try to find out the best way to handle the important tasks and reduce unnecessary expenditure. The principal in collaboration with physical education specialists determines how the students should be participating in the P.E activities according to its needs. The third function of management of P.E facilities and equipment is to lead and direct. Working under this function helps the school P.E management in controlling and supervising the action of students. This helps them in assisting the staff to achieve the desired physical education goals and accomplish their individual career goals which can be powered by motivation. It is very important to maintain a productive working environment, build positive interpersonal relationships and engage in problem solving. This can only be done effectively with proper communication, understanding the communication process and working on areas that need improvement helps managers become more effective communicators.
The final function of management of P.E. facilities and equipment is to control. In an effort to solve performance problems, management should set high standards. They should clearly speak to the students or group of individuals that has problem in the contrary, if there are inadequate resources or other external factors which prevent high standard from being attained; management has to lower their standard as per requirement. This controlling process in comparison with other three is a continuous process.
Weiskopt (2010) observed that physical education is one of the oldest forms of education because man’s development has never been disassociated from physical activities. This phase of education is gained through sports and other kinds of physical activities which necessitate the use of the large fundamental muscles of the body, to promote the physical and social development as well as the mental well-being of the individual.
Ikhioya (2011) stated that provision of P.E facilities involves the effective manipulation of (4 ms) in sport-men, materials, money and machines. In this case, men refers to athletes, officials, fans, and spectators materials are sport facilities and equipment, money is the fund available for sports and machines refer to score board, auto equipment and sports goods. Egbo (2010) stressed that when P.E facilities and equipment are properly managed their life span is prolonged and some form of unnecessary cost is saved.
Smith and Schutz (2011) suggested facilities and equipment should be in secondary schools and managed in such a way that every child must have opportunity to participate in any of the moral sports programmes. This has to be done by giving students proper and co-odinated orientation about the values and after school recreational importance of physical education and sports.
Morakiroyo (2011) states that utilization of P.E. facilities and equipments is a social phenomenon that has grown from its humble beginning of being an entertainment and recreation to becoming a viable and prominent business phenomenon that could no more be ignored in the social, political and economic environment of any nation. P.E. have existed to become a big organization that one frequently reads about in the news media. This latest development can be classified as favourable. Without effective management, it will be almost impossible to form any type of organization where they are formal; it will not function effectively and efficiently.
           According to Covell, Walker, Siciliano and Hess (2010) a sports manager is that person (male or female) that is charged with the responsibility of harnessing human and material resources available for sports to enhance sports participation, development and excellence. This personality has many nomenclatures such as games master/mistress, college coach/sports coordinators.Equipment is not an end on its self but a means to an end. It is a continuous process or trying to optimize performance by taking into consideration the past, present and future in order to advance reasons for poor performance and proffer appropriate solutions.
Oseni (2011) stated that proper provision and utilization of school physical education facilities and equipment constitutes an important part of school management. That means that physical education facilities and equipment maintenance intellectually demanding job and therefore require combined talent and activity of sports administrator. The effective management of the existing resources would demand that school administrators make appropriate policies, objectives and programmes towards ensuring adequate facility utilization and maintenance culture. It also demands that administrators will at the same time conduct regular inventory of school physical education facilities and equipment which would help them to make necessary report and initiate necessary action.
Abikoye (2010) describedP.E equipment and facilities to the site where school sports programmes and activities take place or the environment where the school sports curriculum is implemented. It can be said to be physical expression of the school sports programmes which can mean a consciously designed and controlled environment with the sole aim of promoting participation in physical education and sports activities within the school. It is the putting together of facilities to protect the physical well-being of the individuals associated with sports.
