£5 million drive to recruit army of sports coaches
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5th October 2007
A campaign to recruit 10,000 voluntary community sports coaches in 70 of the most deprived areas of the country was launched on the 24th September by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport James Purnell.
The drive will help build strong communities by getting adults and young people involved in activities in their local area. It will also help increase sport participation and help develop sporting talent.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is to invest £5 million over three years in the recruitment campaign that will be delivered by sports coach UK, Sport England and sports national governing bodies from April 2008.
Ten thousand coaches will deliver more than three million extra coaching hours in an array of sports – from football to basketball, rugby to tennis. It is the first phase of the Government’s strategy to overhaul the quality and quantity of sports coaching in this country.
Purnell wants more adults to get up off the sofa and take up the challenge in a move that will not only benefit young people’s health and fitness but their own.
James Purnell said:
“Coaches have a crucial role to play in getting young people into sport, getting them fit and active and developing sporting talent. But the coaches also benefit – gaining new skills and being a role model in their local community. This is why I am leading this campaign to get more people into coaching. I want to see a mums’ and dads’ army of sports coaches in this country.”
Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said:
“We know good coaches are as vital for ordinary participants as for elite athletes. Coaches can help halt the traditional drop-off in participation of school leavers by making sport fun and enthusing people to stay involved. Sport England has developed 3000 community coaches since 2002 and we look forward to building on this work with sports coach UK and the Government.”
sports coach UK chief executive Pat Duffy said:
“sports coach UK welcomes the recognition of the pivotal role that coaches play within the community. This campaign will form a central part of the implementation of the UK Coaching Framework and its aim to ensure skilled coaches support children, players and athletes at all stages of their development in sport.”
On top of the new coaching campaign Purnell also announced a £1 million investment to expand the StreetGames programme over the next three years.
StreetGames is a national charity set up to improve the provision of sport to young people in disadvantaged communities. The additional DCMS funding will be spent on extending the programme further across the country, increasing the number of projects from the current 20.
StreetGames chief executive Jane Ashworth said:
"This additional funding of over £1 million will make a significant impact on the provision of sport for young people in some of the most deprived areas of the country. Often these areas are lacking in sporting opportunities but StreetGames can address this, help build stronger communities and change the lives of even more young people through sport."