Sprint -Move Yourself - London Community Sports Network

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The Sprint Project

The Sprint Project came to an end at the end of 2008. I am writing to thank you for your contribution and involvement in the project.

What has been achieved?

The Sprint Project has achieved on several levels. Over 1450 training opportunities have been delivered for individuals delivering community sport with young people in the Five Host Boroughs and across London. Over 170 individuals have achieved qualification at NVQ Level 1, 260 at NVQ Level 2 and over 30 at NVQ 3. We have delivered training in over 45 different subject areas and have worked with providers to create and accredit five new qualifications specifically to meet the needs of our beneficiaries. These are just some of the statistics but to find out more about how people have been affected by the training they have accessed please contact our team and ask for information on the Sprint Case Studies.

Thank you for your support with the project.

What was Sprint?

London Community Sports Network (LCSN) received funding from the London Development Agency to deliver the Sprint Project and was launched on 27 February 2007 at the Emirates Stadium in conjunction with regional partner agencies.

The Sprint Project is a bespoke programme which aims to up skill the youth and community sport workforce who work with young people that are at risk of exclusion. This unique new Olympic inspired project provides continual professional development to the community sports and recreation workforce across the 33 London boroughs with a special focus on those working in the five Olympic host boroughs. The programme will be running for 2 years initially.

Through a package of over forty different FREE training courses (both accredited and non-accredited) Sprint will increase the skills of the workforce in order to support the diverse issues facing young people. What does the Project offer? Sprint has been specifically designed for the youth and community sports workforce.

This exciting programme of professional development focuses clearly on three vocational areas:

• Sports & Physical Activity leadership

• Youth & Community Work

• Project Management

Sprint will offer 500 learners from across every London borough (250 of those will specifically be from the five host Olympic borough) the opportunity to access accredited (Level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications) and non-accredited courses and provide informal learning opportunities with seminars, short workshops and masterclasses.

A wide range of topics in each field will be offered including:

Sports coaching certificates (e.g. football, cricket, basketball, boxing, table tennis, handball, volleyball, archery, boccia, kayaking, netball, badminton, CSLA, athletics, tag rugby, cycling leader, street dance)

Understanding Eating Disorders, Advanced Emergency Aid & First aid courses, Advanced Child Protection,
Disability Awareness in Coaching, Introduction to Fundamentals of Movement and How to Coach Effectively
Certificate in Community Sports Work and Certificate in Managing Community Sports
Introduction to Youth Work, Working with Gangs, Young men and Anger, Tackling Bullying, Working with Challenging Behaviour, Basic Counselling and Substance Misuse
Successful Project Management and Skills for Life

Sprint will also provide clear paths for progression with an employment support package which includes work shadowing, job swaps, Employment Brokerage linked to the 2012 Games and an employer’s fair.

Who can get involved?

The Sprint Project will be targeted at people who deliver (or wish to deliver) community sports programmes to young people at risk of exclusion which includes community sports coaches, youth sport officers, youth workers, activity leaders, community development officers and outreach officers.

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All Nations Summer League
WIDENING THE FOOTBALL FAMILY

Whilst most Londoners will have their eyes focussed on the World Cup games in South Africa this June, a few teams will be preparing for their own chance at glory in the All Nations Summer League. The players� skills, experience and wages may not equate with those of Messi, Drogba or Rooney, but their passion for the game and commitment to win will be world class. With FIFA catering for the elite players this summer the London Playing Fields Foundation will be providing competitive opportunities for grassroots teams.

LPFF launched its All Nations Football programme in 2001 to provide refugee and other disenfranchised groups in London with their first experience of playing football in an organised structure. A one day festival and eight week Summer League are provided free of charge for groups that demonstrate a commitment to developing their team. Over time the project has widened its remit to welcome participants from community groups who, for a number of reasons, have not been able to access mainstream affiliated football.

Two hundred teams from over one hundred different organisations have played in the one day tournaments and Summer Leagues, with many of them making the step up to mainstream affiliated competitions. In addition to the football competitions the project provides teams with the opportunity to access coaching and refereeing courses so that their team members can attain qualifications enabling them to secure voluntary positions or paid employment. During the past nine years ninety-four coaches and fifty-three referees have been funded to achieve their first qualification.

In order to assist teams to make the step up to affiliated football the London Communities Football League was established in 2004 with a league committee comprising team representatives and members of the project Steering Group. Ninety-seven teams have played over the seven seasons with seventy-three teams completing their full fixture list. The league plays its matches on Sunday afternoons at a central venue in Walthamstow.

Clapton Park Rangers is just one club that used the All Nations project to help establish itself in affiliated football. The club was formed by a number of Level 1 football coaches who formed the nucleus of the team with the objective of becoming a successful side and providing role models for local young people. They had no financial backing or experience of organised football but entered All Nations Summer League in 2006. At the end of the eight week competition the club decided to join the Hackney & Leyton Sunday League and they have subsequently developed a second team playing in The East London Sunday League and a successful Under 12 team. In 2008 the first team won the London Junior Cup and followed that by winning the London Intermediate Cup in 2009.

None of this would have been possible without the first step up provided by The All Nations Football programme. Mark Whyte, the manager and main organiser, said: �It was a brilliant introduction into organised football and the support was second to none. When we entered mainstream competitive football we were prepared as a consequence. The funding course really helped us get set up on a proper footing.�

The All Nations programme is currently recruiting teams for the Summer League 2010 which will commence on 12th July once the World champions have been crowned. If you would like to receive further information about the project or an application form please contact Jo McKenzie at LPFF on 020 7713 8684 or jo.mckenzie@lpff.org.uk.

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