PLAY / with MJ Playgrounds
Softplay in small rooms Entertaining kids in a contained space is proving more practical than outdoors
WHILE IT MIGHT sound more like adult
entertainment, softplay in small rooms is hot with clubs right now as venues move away
from traditional, outdoor hard play areas for kids and revert to indoor play areas.
Despite COVID-19, indoor soft contained
play structures and indoor adventure parks, which include entertainment such as ninja tag, play areas and courses, are proving
more popular. Also in the mix are electric
ride-ons, such as bumper cars and go-karts. In addition, there is demand for separate
play areas for toddlers and digital offerings such as virtual reality simulators for the older kids.
While big clubs dedicate large areas to
children, it’s not out of the realm of smaller clubs to introduce softplay in small rooms
if they have a pocket space, says Matt Perry of MJ Playgrounds.
“They (clubs) are being much more
family-oriented and also the soft contained playground areas are preferred by parents
because of the lack of injuries that happen there,” Matt says.
“Plus we found that soft contained play
keeps children occupied for longer than an outdoor playground.
Mounties Group is a fan of the small
room concept and has set up Major Fun,
Another group, Tabatinga, also
operates play venues for a number of other clubs, licensing its name to the
space, the equipment and the fitout to a
“That’s one of my biggest selling points!” While the core of MJ Playground work
comes from NSW, the next largest market
on the side.
put the brakes on business in both states,
centre themselves, with a little support A lot of clubs were putting in hard play
indoors but kids found it boring, difficult to
do for a long time and the equipment didn’t keep kids engaged long enough, says Matt. Thus the preference for soft play.
“With soft play, the kids are not at their
parents’ feet all the time and it also because
Mount Pritchard.
tired when they leave the club, so instead
62 / Club Management
as they hit the car.
club which then operates the Tabatinga
a separate business that operates its
play areas in Freshwater and Mounties
of being hyped up, they are asleep as soon
it such an active play that it is making them
is Queensland and although COVID-19
things started to ramp up across the board 12 months ago.
MJ Playgrounds is currently working on
a smaller indoor play space at Shellharbour Workers Club’s Imperial Hotel on the South Coast, it is soon to unveil two “monstrous” RSL club venue playgrounds, two in NSW and one in Queensland. Long may they play.
