Playing 4 Health
The four professional sports clubs based within the City of Leicester are working together to deliver a unique programme to local primary schools. Coaches from the clubs willl run free multi-skills coaching sessions for 60 schools across the city, engaging around 3600 young people aged between 8 and 9 years old. Each school wil receive 5 weeks of high quality coaching, focused around the physical capabilities of the children rather than sports specific ability. Skills such as balance, coordination, running and jumping will all look to be improved through the sessions. The young people will then attend a festival at their local secondary school that will be run by trained young leaders.
The programme will culminate in a city wide festival at Leicester City Football Club in May, 2012. This will bring together around 500 of the young peopel that have been part of the programme. Those that have shown the best attitude will be selected using the Olympic values such as friendship, excellence and respect.
The initiative is being run through the 'Flames: Lighting the way' programme which is part of the London 2012 Legacy programme. Flames is a programme developed by the British Heart Foundation in partnership with Loughborough College and delivered in association wtih the British Heart Foundation National Centre (BHFNC) at Loughborough University. It started as a local project and has since developed into a national programme that centres across the UK can run themselves. Flames is an Olympic and Paralympic value driven programme, delivered by young leaders and centred around physical activity and health.
It is believed that this is the first project in the country to engage all the professional clubs within 1 city and will be delivered in conjunction wtih The Leicester Sports Partnership Trust, NHS LEicester City and Leicestershire & Rutland Sport. It is hopsed that the programme will utilise the power of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in addition to the sports clubs to inspire young people within the city to take part in more sport and physical activity, a truly lasting legacy.
For more information or to discuss the availability of this opportunity for your school, please contact a member of the Leicester Tigers Community Team on 0844 856 1880 or email community@tigers.co.uk.
