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, a separate business that operates its play areas in Freshwater and Mounties Mount Pritchard.

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 club which then operates the Tabatinga centre themselves, with a little support on the side.

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 it such an active play that it is making them tired when they leave the club, so instead

of being hyped up, they are asleep as soon as they hit the car. “That’s one of my biggest selling points!” While the core of MJ Playground work comes from NSW, the next largest market is Queensland and although COVID-19 put the brakes on business in both states, 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.

MJ Playgrounds provides a large range of high quality products and services to the club industry throughout Australia. We will transform any space small or large into a new world for children, adding a play space to your club has a proven track record of to increase patronage and turn your facility into a family friendly environment. We provide everything from design & manufacturing to maintenance and refurbishments.