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About us
The Underdog Games is owned and operated by primary school teacher Kevin Beakey. With years of experience working with children in both the classroom in Ireland and with various summer camps across America, he noticed a rapid decline in outdoor play amongst young children. Instead, they were choosing video games, YouTube or TV as their primary source of entertainment. Kevin described it as the trading of “grass and sticks for couches and controllers”.
It became clear this change in attitude was not only negative for children’s physical health but also their creativity, imagination and social skills. The straw that broke the camel’s back occurred, a few years ago, when Kevin was teaching a class in Dublin. The boys and girls were cheering on the rain as it fell outside the window. When asked why, they said it would mean no yard time for lunch and instead, they’ll get to stay in and watch Netflix. At that moment, Kevin decided something needed to be done to re-ignite children’s excitement for the outdoors.
Using his vast experience of fun-fuelled games from both home and abroad, combined with a couple of his own creations, Kevin developed a thrilling selection of simple team games, specifically designed to accommodate children of all athletic abilities. Kevin created The Underdog Games in order to share these outdoor activities to schools and communities all across Ireland, and therefore, enable the children to recreate the fun and excitement back in their own communities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help children rediscover the joy of playing outside by providing a thrilling variety of simple team games. We want to bring children together, break them away from the isolation and deprivation of screens and devices. As humans, it’s written in our DNA to be societal creatures, but many young children are losing the ability to interact and build social constructs. This lack of outdoor play affects their communication and performance in school and at home.
The Underdog Games teaches the children an exciting array of team activities that they can re-create in their own communities. Games which help develop friendships and physical fitness, as well as cognitive reasoning and critical thinking skills. The Underdog Games strives to unite children and promote positive relationships, centred around team work and inclusivity. This in turn, improves their holistic environment and overall home and school spirit.
Our Staff
At The Underdog Games, we pride ourselves on meticulous organisation and unwavering professionalism. This philosophy is incumbent in all of our staff. We choose highly energetic and motivated staff, with a keen interest in, and/or experience working with children. Our staff are fully trained in running the activities and providing the children with the ingredients to have an unforgettable time!
A minimum of 1 staff member per event will be trained in First Aid. All staff members with the Underdog Games are Garda Vetted with the Irish Vetting Services and confirmations of such vetting can be provided upon request.
All of The Underdog Games events adopt a '3 person rule', meaning no child will ever be alone with a staff member for any reason. It also means children will be supervised at all times. This is part of our commitment to the highest safety standards and procedures regarding child welfare.