News

Staffordshire Youth Games seeks sponsors 25th January 2008 Sponsors are being sought for two sporting events organised by the County Sports Partnership, Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent. The 2008 Special Schools Sports Festival and the 2008 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Youth Games will be held at Shobnall Leisure Complex, Burton and Fenton Manor Sports Complex, Stoke-on-Trent respectively in early July.

The events will see over 1,000 of the county's budding athletes from mainstream and special schools competing at two separate events and taking part in a wide range of sports and will aim to provide lasting pathways for the participants to enable them to continue to enjoy and succeed in their chosen activities. With the support of the National Governing Bodies and the Local Authorities the games will provide a springboard to bigger things and help identify future sporting talent.

 

"The games have proved a fantastic success in previous years, but a change in our remit as a County Sports Partnership means that we have limited funds available to support such events," commented Sports Manager, Jane Kracke. "We have already received some very positive news from a potential sponsor for our Special Schools Event and support from our local authorities for the Youth Games but we would still appreciate financial sponsorship and any in-kind support such as refreshments and equipment for the days would be fantastic."

 

Jason Britton, Business Development Manager for the Partnership commented, "With the 2012 Olympics fast approaching, a number of companies in the county may be hoping to tender for contracts linked with delivering the Olympic Games in London; sponsoring either or both of our events would be a great addition to the corporate CV's of those potential bidders and would really make a difference to the lives of the youngsters involved. Who knows? We might even identify a medal-winner for 2012 here in Staffordshire. "

 

For further information on how to become a sponsor please contact Leigh Morton at Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent on 01785 619349 or via e-mail at(lmorton@staffordbc.gov.uk).

 

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Staffordshire sets sights on 2012 London Olympics
7th January 2008

The economy, health and culture of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent could receive a major shot in the arm from 2012's London Olympics.

That was the message from a special conference, held on 7th January 2008, to chart out how the county can reap maximum benefit when the greatest sporting show on earth comes to Britain in four years.

The conference brought together representatives from a host of organisations within the county and the city of Stoke-on-Trent. These included local authorities, health organisations, businesses and a considerable number of young sportspeople.

An action plan will now be drawn up to see how Staffordshire will gain from an event that will attract thousands of the world's best athletes, tens of thousands of extra tourists and TV audiences of hundreds of millions.

Maureen Compton the county council's Cabinet Support Member for Culture and Heritage said: "The potential benefits are far-reaching and not simply economic. The Olympics will inspire people of all ages and offer a large range of opportunities for people to become involved.

"Today's conference has been a major success in bringing together a range of organisation to discuss our priorities. We can now begin to plan in detail how we can make sure that Staffordshire achieves a legacy from this one-in-a-lifetime event."

Pictured above: Maureen Compton and Chris Kirkland, 2012 Games Co-ordinator for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent


Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent's planning will focus on five key areas: children and young people; healthier communities; culture; tourism and economic and business development.

Cllr Compton continued: "The potential is enormous but needs to be planned for. For instance the games could give many young people the inspiration to become more active, even if they have no real ambition to become Olympians themselves. There will also be countless opportunities to volunteer, either by getting directly involved with the Olympics or taking part in community activities. We also need to ensure that local firms can benefit from the business opportunities as there will be very many contracts connected to the games that they will be able to tender for."

Councillor Derek Capey, Deputy Lord Mayor for Stoke-on-Trent said: "In Stoke-on-Trent we are committed to working with the rest of Staffordshire to make the most of the opportunities presented by the Olympics.

We are in advanced discussions with the Pakistan Olympic Team about them staying and training in the city. That would provide an economic boost and a cultural exchange between our communities. It would improve links between our two countries, help to raise Stoke-on-Trent's national and international profile and give local people a real sense of pride during the 2012 Olympics.

We are also working to ensure as many young people as possible are inspired to train, get fit and take part in sport in their communities. We have some of the best young athletes in England in Stoke-on-Trent. We will support them and, hopefully, help them to reach the Olympics too."

For more information contact:

Chris Kirkland
Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Co-ordinator for the 2012 Games
Telephone: 01785 854595
Mobile: 07773 791118
E-mail: chris.kirkland@staffordshire.gov.uk

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Staffordshire Olympic sports grant system launched
November 2007

 

A scheme to help young athletes achieve their 2012 Olympic dreams will be has been launched.

 

Robert Simpson, Staffordshire County Council's Deputy Leader, took to the water to hand over the first Young People's Sports Grant to leading slalom canoeist Mark Proctor.

The former Wolgarston High School pupil from Penkridge is aiming to make the 2012 Olympic squad and could even participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is the top athlete in his sport aged under 23.

 

Mark said: "Extra funding and recognition from Staffordshire County Council is a great boost to my hopes and helps improve my profile and that of the sport. I'm delighted to be the first recipient of a Young People's Sports Grant."

Mark, a member of Stafford and Stone Canoe Club and has competed in Australia, Brazil, Holland and Slovenia this year alone. And while overseas trips are funded by the British Canoe Union, the leading authority for the sport in the country, much of his training has to be self-funding.

Mark added: "Reaching this level in any sport is a full-time occupation and takes total dedication, and I am very grateful for the support I receive from my family and sponsorship."

The Staffordshire County Council grant scheme is designed to support sporting excellence and to encourage young people to achieve the highest standards in sport. Mark will receive £500.

Cllr Robert Simpson, Deputy Leader of the Council said: "We aim to encourage young people to engage in physical activity at all levels, and athletes like Mark can act as real role models for young people."

The 2012 Olympics will be the highest profile sporting event held in this country since the 1966 World Cup. We want to play our part in ensuring British athletes are successful and that a fair proportion of them come from Staffordshire.

If the success of our athletes in 2012 inspires others to be active and healthy then this grant will reap enormous dividends across the county."

 

Any young person can apply for the grant as long as they meet the three main criteria. They must attend a Staffordshire school or live in the county; must be involved in an Olympic sport or a priority sport identified by Sport England; be identified by their sport's National Governing Body as a member of a national development or performance squad.

Any young athlete who wants to find out more about the Young People's Sport Grant can contact Clive Jones, the County Council's Officer for Active Lifestyles on 01785 278266 or clive.jones@staffordshire.gov.uk

 

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SASSOT Receives Equity Award
Wednesday, 12th September 2007

Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent is pleased to announce that it has achieved the Preliminary Level of the Equality Standard - A Framework for Sport Accreditation.

Mark Thornewill was delighted with the achievement commenting, "The work of the Equity Group has been key to the Partnership achieving the standard and I want to say congratulations and a big thank you for their hard work and support of the Partnership. Delivery of our Equity Action Plan is a priority target for the Partnership and I look forward to our continued working relationship to implement the plan in order to widen access to sport and active recreation."

The Partnership's Access Across Staffordshire's funding scheme is still open for applications. The fund is open to Local Authorities and National Governing Bodies of Sport who require financial assistance to support or develop a new project which has an equality theme and fits into one of the target categories. The closing date is 4^th February 2008 for the second and final round of applications.

For more information contact:
Jason Britton
Tel: 01785 619599
Email: jbritton@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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SASSOT Receives Annual Achievement Award from SEWM
Tuesday, 11th September 2007

SASSOT are delighted to be able to announce that at the West Midlands Regional Sports Board meeting on 11 September 2007, Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent were awarded the Sport England West Midlands' County Sports Partnership 2006/2007 Recognition Award for Annual Achievements.

The award was made on the basis of the partnership's performance and delivery against the Performance Framework. SASSOT Director, Mark Thornewill received a trophy and a cheque for £5,000 for delivery of a programme, to be agreed with Sport England, to increase participation in Sport and Active Recreation in the sub region.   Mark commented, "The award marks the culmination of a very successful first year of operation and a great team effort by all involved with SASSOT. We must now consolidate upon our work so far and develop it further. We can look to some challenging times ahead and hope we can continue to maintain the momentum already achieved through the close collaboration of the board, its champions, the core and wider team members, and our partners. Thank you for your support in the achievement of the award. Well done everyone!"

Rauf Mirza, Chair, Sport England West Midlands Regional Sports Board, also presented awards to two other County Sports Partnerships in recognition of their specific achievements during the 2006/07 financial year:

Coventry Solihull & Warwickshire Sport received the 'West Midlands' County Sports Partnership Sports Equity Award 2006/2007'

Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin received the 'West Midlands' County Sports Partnership Special Recognition Award 2006/2007'

For more information contact:
Mark Thornewill
Tel: 01785 619896
Email: mthornewill@staffordbc.gov.uk

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RSB Rows into Staffordshire
Tuesday, 11th September 2007

Trentham Boat Club was host to members of the West Midlands Regional Sports Board on Tuesday 11th September. 

Organised in conjunction with SASSOT, a few plucky members of the Board and Sport England staff took to the water to try their hand at rowing. Their efforts were ably supported by the British Under 14 champions from Trentham High School and coaches Darren Barton and Nick Barr.

Everybody was enthused by the growth of rowing and canoeing in Stoke and how this links to local priorities to improve health, fitness and sporting opportunities across the region. 

For more information contact:
Mark Thornewill
Tel: 01785 619896
Email: mthornewill@staffordbc.gov.uk

CSP Thanks Trentham Estate
August 2007

Jason Britton (right) presents Trentham Estate's John Lowther, with the sponsorship memento.

Further CIF Investment into CSP Region
Friday, 31st August 2007

Two more projects based in the SASSOT region are to benefit from awards from Sport England's Community Investment Fund. The two projects have combined costs of over £500,000 and have received CIF monies to the tune of almost £80,000, and will target increasing participation in women and girls rugby and rowing and canoeing.

Staffordshire Rugby Development Partnership - awarded £31,460 towards the costs of a project to develop women's rugby in Staffordshire. The award will support a two year senior women's rugby programme to be developed through funding a part time women's rugby coach. The coach will work with key rugby clubs to help them set up women's rugby sections, as well as support existing sections to recruit more female players. The estimated contribution to an increase in people to taking part in sport in the region from this project is 250 women and girls from the Staffordshire area.

 
Trentham Water Sports Association - awarded  £48,000 towards a project costing £441,998 to build a new club house with changing rooms and storage for canoeing and rowing at Trentham lakes in Stoke.
The new facility will replace an existing building which is run down and due to be demolished as part of a redevelopment of the surrounding area.  The club aims to expand the take up of both canoeing and rowing from all members of the local community including women/girls, older people and disabled people. The estimated contribution to an increase in people to taking part in sport in the region from this project is 328 more people from the Stoke on Trent area taking up rowing and canoeing.

CIF has now committed over £1m of investment to projects in Staffordshire which aim to contribute to achieving an increase in the take up sport and active recreation.

More details on CIF can be obtained from Jason Britton, Business Development Manager at SASSOT, via jbritton@staffordbc.gov.uk or on 01785 619599

2012 Roadshow Visits Stafford
Wednesday, 15 August 2007

The London 2012 Roadshow rolled into Stafford on 15th August, when it visited Stafford Borough Council's Main Event at Rowley Park. Olympic triple jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards and Commonwealth Gold Swimmer Adam Whitehead were also in attendance to promote the 2012 Olympics and to encourage the people of Staffordshire to take part in sport.

Visitors to the 2012 arena were treated to fantastic demonstrations of gymnastics, kickboxing, football juggling and circuit training, as the roadshow stopped off in Stafford for the latest leg of its 10-week countrywide tour. 

Edwards, who won Olympic gold at the Sydney Games in 2000 said, "I think it's fantastic. When we started the Olympic Games bid process back in 2003, one of the main aims was to try and encourage more young people to take part in sport.

"There is a health crisis among young people, and so we wanted to make a real difference. We are seeing that being realised now, and we just hope the momentum will continue to grow, as more and more people get involved in sport.

"This will be good for elite sport, with more youngsters coming through, but it will also be good for the country as a whole, as people will be fitter and healthier."

Adam Whitehead who won a Commonwealth breaststroke 100m gold medal in Manchester 2002 watched in amazement as the Stafford Acrobatic Gymnastics and Trampolining Club put on their display for the crowds. "I'm a swimmer so I felt a bit like a fish out of water here, but I enjoy watching any sport, and these kids have been fantastic" commented Whitehead.

"In this country we have a great tradition of watching sport and talking about sport, but hopefully through the roadshow we can encourage more people to actually participate in sport" he continued.

Visitors to the 2012 bus were encouraged to register for the 2012 Challenge. Participants could sign up to set themselves a challenge to achieve by 2012.

Pictured above left to right: Cllr Mike Smith, Mark Thornewill, Adam Whitehead, Jonathan Edwards
and Malcolm Duncan

Click here to sign up to the 2012 Challenge.

Partners Commit at Stoke Sports Summit
Thursday, 26 July 2007

Representatives from key delivery agencies across the city met at Crewe Hall last Friday 13^th July for the Stoke-on-Trent Sports Summit. The event was organised by Sport England and Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent as the first in a series of summits to address low rates of adult participation in sport and active recreation (as indicated in Sport England's recent Active People Survey).
 

The aim of the summit was to explore how the key delivery agencies from across the city can work together to drive up participation in sport and physical activity, thereby improving the health and well being of the people of Stoke-on-Trent.

The event was attended by heads of organisations and directors who have a direct influence upon local policy and outcomes, covering sport, health, regeneration, community services, business, crime prevention, higher and further education and the private sector.

"We can take pride from what has been achieved from this one event in terms of consensus to work together to address a problem which affects us all, and one towards which we can all contribute a solution." Commented Rauf Mirza Chair of the Regional Sports Board and Stoke resident. "As community leaders we need to ensure this momentum continues to grow and achieves the positive outcomes we all want."

The summit closed with the attendees each signing a declaration of commitment to work together to champion increased participation, enjoyment and success through sport and active recreation and to deliver on the agreed Action Plan.

The athletes took part in coaching sessions and competed in events including zone hockey, badminton, tag rugby, cricket, football and athletics as the recent poor weather gave way to sunshine and smiling faces.
 

Jane Kracke, Sports Manager and festival organiser from Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent (SASSOT) was thrilled with the success of the day. "A massive 'thank you' to The Trentham Estate for sponsoring the event and to Inside Right for providing bottled water for the participants; also to the volunteer helpers from Stafford Grammar School and Burton College who helped the day to run smoothly but the real stars of the day are the athletes and the support staff who've made the festival such a success. We hope to be able to follow up the event with the provision of coaching in some of the special schools to build upon the interest generated today and hopefully encourage more clubs to provide pathways for these athletes to continue to participate in sport." 

During the lunch interval, the athletes and supporters were treated to a hand-cycling demonstration by former GB Paralympian, Marcus Asbury. Marcus, who works as a Sports Development Officer, has had first hand experience of competing at the highest level in the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992. "Today has been all about participation. Despite disabled children experiencing a number of barriers, there are still opportunities, in terms of sport, for access and inclusion" he commented. "Who knows? We may have seen a budding 2012 Paralympics medal winner in the making here today." 

The Mayor and Mayoress of East Staffordshire, along with a number of civic dignitaries from across the county, attended the festival and made a number of presentations to the successful teams. Councillor Cedric Insley CBE, Mayor of East Staffordshire commented, "The whole concept is exciting and worthwhile. It helps to bring children together for team sports and hopefully generates interest in sport that will last a lifetime."  

The enjoyment on the faces of the young athletes was clear, especially those of the Tag Rugby team from Two Rivers School, Tamworth who won the Tag Rugby Competition for the fourth consecutive year.

Sports Coaching Conference a Success The inaugural Coaching Conference organised by Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent (SASSOT) last Sunday 29th April, proved a great success with over 100 sports coaches and volunteers attending workshops at Staffordshire University's Leek Road Campus. Graham Knight, former Technical Director of UK Athletics and Olympic coach was the guest speaker at the event which aimed to recognise, develop and promote the skills of sports coaches from our region and beyond.

"The event was a tremendous success and the culmination of some of the wider work of the Partnership to develop coaching as a profession and to begin to address some of the skills gaps and shortages that recent research has highlighted," said Ben Hollands, SASSOT Workforce Development Officer "We're working hard to increase the numbers of participants in sport, especially in the run up the London 2012 Olympics and the numbers of coaches and sports represented here today is testimony to the commitment of our coaches."

The day's content ranged from advice on how to make coaching a business to how to improve sport specific coaching sessions.

Alan Rogers, Badminton Coach said "It was a great day, with lots of inspirational ideas on a more professional approach to coaching especially in the school environment.

For further information on becoming a coach please visit the sports pages at www.sportacrossstaffordshire.co.uk or contact Ben Hollands on 01785 619317 or bhollands@staffordbc.gov.uk.

In addition to the 25 metre, six lane pool and new hall, the project includes an extension to the leisure centre's fitness suite and new multi-purpose room.  The new pool replaces the old, outdated facility at Hagley Park Sports College which no longer met the needs of the community and has been closed to the public for some time.