Stafford Borough Council Sport Development Team recognised by England Athletics

 

Stafford Borough Council Sports Development Team were nominated under the category Team/Partnership for the Local Authority Award for 2007 at the England Athletics West Midlands Awards Evening, held in Birmingham on the 19^th November.

For each of the 16 awards presented the two finalist nominees including Stafford Borough Council (SBC), were awarded with a finalist certificate by Midlands Today, Nick Owen and Heptathlete Kelly Southerton who won Gold in the Commonwealth Games and Bronze in the World Championships. Although SBC lost out to Sandwell District Council, it was a great achievement for the Sports Development Teams work to be recognised by England Athletics.

Pictured: Clare Newton, Athletics & Parks Development Officer, Stafford Borough Council

Recognition was gained for Athletics Development work led by SBC Sports Development Team. The development work has included promoting the Sport from School to Club level and working in partnership with Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and Stone School Sports Partnership and the local Athletics Clubs. As part of the development work SBC run a weekly athletics club every Saturday morning at Stafford Sports College for 8-12 year olds and a club on Wednesday evenings at Rowley Park for 13-15 year olds, both of these clubs led by a team of qualified athletics coaches filter onto Cannock and Stafford AC and Stafford Harriers. Startrack Athletics is one of Sport Developments most popular courses in the school holidays, Startrack weeks tend to have around 80 children attending each day, a particular highlight is that many of the athletics coaches were themselves previously athletes on the scheme.

Further Development work has included supporting the running of the Staffordshire Sportshall Athletics League and an inter schools league due to commence in November. As a consequence of the development work, young local athletes have a clear progressive athletics development pathway to follow from school to club level. It is hoped that a talented athlete will have the opportunity to progress through the continuum to the podium at the 2012 Olympics!      

 

For more information contact:
Clare Newton
Sports Development Team
T: 01785 619308
E: cnewton@staffordbc.gov.uk