Nike's 'inclusive playground' encourages non-athletic kids to try sport

Korean project from Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo and the Glue Society aims to help the less athletic feel more welcome

Published On
May 11, 2022

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A new project from Nike Korea aims to help less athletic children feel more included—via a "playground for all." 

The brand wanted to help reluctant teens who would usually feel unwelcome in a sporting environment and watch from the sidelines by giving them something they also felt they could use. Teenage Korean girls, in particular, often feel excluded from sport at school. 

 

Nike Korea - Playground for all - Design by The Glue Society - Baseball

 

Agency Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo commissioned creative collective The Glue Society to conceive the playground at Yongma Middle School in South Korea. It combines spaces for different activities in an effort to encourage kids to step in and try new sports.

“We took the designs of a basketball court, football pitch, baseball diamond and running track and combined them into one,” explained Paul Bruty of the Glue Society, in a statement. “To create a structure that could support basketball hoops, football goals and baseball netting, we extended the court markings into the vertical space. A bright palette contrasted the surrounding utilitarianism of the school—marking the difference between the old and new way of thinking.”

 

Nike Korea - Playground for all - Design by The Glue Society - Basketball

 

 

The playground was installed under cover of darkness in order to surprise the students the next day, and it was unveiled during a special day that also included visits by Nike athletes and ambassadors. Kids were given cameras to capture the events in their own way, and the footage makes up part of a film about the project.

While the playground was installed at the school for the one-off day in March, Nike is hoping to install it in a public location once an appropriate site has been found.

 

 

Nike Korea - Playground for all - Design by The Glue Society - Gif