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March 2012
News
Sport
England |
Creating
sporting
opportunities
in every
community |
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Opening
up
school
facilities
for
community
use
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This
week
Sport
England
published
guidance
which
will
help
thousands
of
schools
across
the
country
open
up
their
sporting
facilities
to
the
local
community.
At
the
moment,
76
per
cent
of
sports
halls,
73
per
cent
of
artificial
grass
pitches,
29
per
cent
of
swimming
pools
and
52
per
cent
of
grass
pitches
in
England
are
located
within
the
education
sector.
This
means
that
a
lot
of
the
country’s
sports
facilities
sit
redundant
in
the
evening
at
weekends
and
during
the
school
holidays,
despite
many
sports
clubs
desperately
crying
out
for
somewhere
to
play.
“Good
quality
facilities
are
vital
to
the
success
of
community
sport,
yet
too
often
clubs
struggle
to
find
a
location
where
they
can
train
and
play,”
said
Charles
Johnston,
Property
Director
at
Sport
England.
“We
hope
that
this
guidance
will
help
schools
open
up
their
facilities
and
experience
a
host
of
benefits
whilst
also
supporting
sport
in
their
area.”
The
new
guidance
advises
on
the
best
possible
and
simplest
approach
to
opening
up
school
facilities,
as
well
as
aiming
to
help
head
teachers,
governors,
school
business
managers
and
potential
school
partners
understand
the
benefits
of
community
use.
These
include:
Improved
educational
attainment
and
attendance
Training
and
career
opportunities
for
students
Increased
funding
opportunities
Promoting
the
school
within
the
local
community
Sporting
opportunities
for
staff
and
pupils.
The
guidance
is
supported
by
the
National
College
for
School
Leadership,
an
organisation
that
represents
over
95,000
school
leaders,
governors
and
administrators.
“The
National
College
welcomes
the
publication
of
this
guidance
which
will
make
it
easier
for
schools
to
make
available
their
sporting
facilities
to
the
local
community
and
increase
the
use
of
these
valuable
assets,”
said
Trevor
Summerson,
Head
of
School
Business
Management
and
Efficiency
at
the
National
College.
The
guidance
is
just
one
part
of a
wider
programme
of
work
that
Sport
England
is
doing
to
improve
access
to
school
sports
facilities.
As
part
of
our
new
strategy,
all
secondary
schools
who
wish
to
do
so
will
be
helped
to
open
up,
or
keep
open,
their
sports
facilities
for
local
community
use
and
at
least
a
third
of
these
will
receive
additional
funding
to
make
this
happen.
|
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Sport England has awarded £100,000 of Sportsmatch funding to a new FA and Vauxhall Motors initiative that aims to tackle youth drop out from football...
More info |
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With this year’s Games less than 150 days away, sport in England has rarely had a higher profile. We want to find out about your sporting experiences through the Sport England Satisfaction Survey.
More info |
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You
can
find
the
guidance
on
the
Sport
England
website |
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Bexley
gets
Iconic
Facility
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The
Minister
for
Sport
and
the
Olympics,
Hugh
Robertson
MP,
joined
the
Mayor
of
London,
Boris
Johnson,
and
Olympic
hopeful
Zoe
Smith
to
officially
open
the
Europa
Centre
in
Bexley
on 6
March.
The
new
state-of-the-art
facility
has
received
£1.24
million
of
National
Lottery
investment
from
Sport
England’s
Iconic
Facilities
fund,
part
of
the
Olympic
and
Paralympic
legacy
programme,
Places
People
Play.
“The
Europa
Centre
encapsulates
exactly
what
we’re
aiming
to
achieve
through
our
legacy
investments,”
said
Jennie
Price,
Sport
England’s
Chief
Executive.
“Gym
users
from
the
local
community
can
now
enjoy
their
sport
in
world-class
facilities.
I’d
like
to
pay
particular
tribute
to
Len
and
Yvonne
Arnold
who
have
put
their
hearts
and
souls
into
this
project
and
helped
to
create
a
truly
Iconic
Facility.”
Despite
its
popularity,
two
years
ago
the
Europa
Gym
faced
an
uncertain
future.
Based
in
leased
premises
in
an
outdated
converted
industrial
building
in
Erith,
owners
Len
and
Yvonne
were
looking
at
the
gym’s
possible
closure.
The
London
Borough
of
Bexley
led
a
project
team
that
worked
tirelessly
to
secure
funding
from
outside
agencies
to
make
the
new
Centre
a
reality.
“It
is
truly
amazing
to
start
with
a
dream
of
an
ideal
facility,
and
to
be
here
today
to
realise
that
dream
is
testament
to
all
those
who
joined
in
to
help
complete
this
extraordinary
centre,”
said
Len.
“I
would
just
like
to
take
this
opportunity
to
thank
all
those
that
went
the
extra
mile
to
make
it
possible.”
The
new
Centre
includes
a
martial
arts
and
dance
studio,
a
boxing
studio,
dedicated
weights
studio,
fitness
studio
and
gymnastics
hall,
and
will
also
become
a
London
2012
Games
Time
Training
Venue
for
both
the
Olympic
and
Paralympic
Volleyball
squads
this
summer.
There
will
be
24
Olympic
and
18
Paralympic
teams
training
at
the
centre.
Speaking
at
the
opening,
the
Minister
talked
about
how
this
year’s
Games
will
be
the
catalyst
for
a
revolution
in
British
sport
at
all
levels
over
the
next
decade.
He
said
elite,
community
and
competitive
school
sport
will
receive
a
boost
off
the
back
of
London
2012
that
can
lead
to a
cultural
shift
in
this
country’s
sports’
participation
habits
in
the
years
to
come.
“Sport
in
this
country
will
benefit
greatly
from
hosting
London
2012
at
all
levels
-
from
elite
athletes
to
the
grassroots,”
said
Hugh
Robertson.
“It
is a
massive
opportunity
for
us
to
drive
change
and
encourage
people
up
and
down
the
country
to
choose
sport.
We
are
doing
all
we
can
to
put
the
building
blocks
in
place
so
that
sport
is
ready
to
capitalise
in
the
days,
months
and
years
that
follow
London
2012.” |
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Sport England-funded Us Girls marks the 101st International Women’s Day with a series of Olympic sports taster sessions being held across the country. More info
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The Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, presented three clubs in his South Cambridgeshire constituency with a total £137,511of National Lottery funding from the Inspired Facilities Fund.
More info |
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To
find
out
more
about
Iconic
Facilities
or
other
Places
People
Play
funding,
visit
our
website |
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