Sport Specific Development

Group 2

Kick It Out - Anti-racism Week of Action (October 17th - 31st)

St Albans City Youth, Harpenden Colts, St Albans City FC and Harpenden Town FC in Partnership with the St Albans Sport & Health Development Team supported the 'Lets Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign with an afternoon of activities at Clarence Park on Tuesday 23rd October and Rothamsted Park on Thursday 25th October.

This year's 'Kick it Out' campaign has a new theme, One Game, One Community, with a strong focus on celebrating the contribution made by all communities.  With this in mind the initiative is being run in partnership to provide a variety of communities across the City & Disrtict of St Albans with the opportunity to take part in anti-racism workshops and football coaching sessions.

Chris Gregory, from St Albans Sport & Health Development Team said: "We hope the rest of the weeks activities will be as successful as todays.  Racism is an important issue for the health and future of the game and the country as a whole".

Dave Wray, Football Development Officer at St Albans City Youth said: "We are delighted to be involved in this community event.  It was a great fun day for everyone who took part from our local area.  By working in partnership we were able to use are coaches to offer quality coaching sessions and at the same time deliver an important message to the youngsters involved".

Harpenden Town FC - Kick It Out Event

Bob Trevor, Football Development Officer for Harpenden Colts believes: "It is imperative that sport, and most notably football, provides a strong sense of togetherness for all. In doing so football, and the Clubs which have embraced this campaign, can then provide the impetus to encourage all that racism and intolerance will not form part of our future."

Brian Hicks, Harpenden Town FC Chairman said: "As a Charter Standard Adult club we were more than happy to be involved in this important initiative as we strive to provide an experience of football for the whole community".

The weeks activities were porvided by the City & District of St Albans Council in partnership with Leisure Connection, St Albans City Youth, St Albans City FC, St Albans Community Police Team, Harpenden Colts and Harpenden Town FC.

To get invovled in the 2008 week of action please contact Chris Gregory at the Sports Development Team on 01727 827667.

Tri-Golf Launch at Batchwood

Tri-Golf Launched at Batchwood (October 2006)

The St Albans Sport & Health Development Team held a number tri-golf taster sessions at Batchwood Golf & Tennis Centre on Thursday 12th October. The taster sessions attracted over thirty local youngsters from six primary schools across the City & District of St Albans.

The taster sessions were lead by two young tri-golf activators who took part in the coach education course we held at Oakland's college in May. The children who took part in the sessions were playing golf for the first time and were introduced to the basic skills of chipping and putting through various games designed by the golf foundation. Each child that attended the tasters took home a goody bag filled with Tri-Golf merchandise and information on the courses currently being run at Batchwood.

Mark Flitton, Golf Professional at Batchwood attended the sessions to offer support and observe the future golfing talent. He said; 'It was fantastic too see so many young people both girls and boys enjoying their first experience of golf. I hope to see all of them again soon either at Batchwood or Abbey View practicing the techniques we worked on during the taster sessions'.

Chris Gregory, Leisure Connection's Sport Development Officer working in partnership with St Albans District Council organized the event and believes; 'Tri-Golf is an excellent programme to deliver golf to youngster in a safe but exciting way, many people see golf as sedentary individual sport but the Tri-golf programme introduces the youngsters to the sport through energetic team games that gets everyone active towards the recommended five hours of physical activity per week'.

The Tri-Golf programme is about to be delivered in every primary school from January 2007 thanks to the financial support of the Golf Foundation and the foresight of the St Albans and Harpenden School Sports Partnership lead by the Partnership Development Managers Tanya Angus and Dan Klinger.

Vicky Rees, Business manager at Batchwood Golf & Tennis Centre see's; 'the tri-golf programme is a fantastic opportunity for young people to be introduced to golf, its new approach is really interactive and exciting and we could really see the enjoyment in the faces of all who took part.'

If you have any further questions relating to the tri-golf programme please call Chris Gregory at the St Albans sport and health development team on 01727 827667.

The event was provided by the City & District of St Albans Council in partnership with Leisure Connection.

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If you would like more information on the Tri-Golf programme please click on the link below:

http://www.golf-foundation.org/index.cfm?id=20

Tri-Golf Launch!!

Golf Development

The St Albans Sport Development Team has successfully secured £4000 worth of funding from the 'Golf Foundation' to continue their Junior Golf Development programme across the City and District of St Albans.

The School Links programme, is a Department of Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) funded project, which seeks to deliver junior golf programmes through local partnerships in accordance with the Physical Education and School Sport Club Links (PESSCL) strategy. Co-ordinated by the England Junior Golf Partnership and supported by Sport England the project seeks to:

· Raise the profile and challenge the perceptions of golf and its ability to reach into communities where previously golf may not have been considered as sport of choice

· Provide golfing opportunities to young children through sustainable partnerships between accredited golf clubs/facilities and School Sport Partnerships.

· Create sustainable, school-based opportunities by empowering individuals and providing appropriate resources.

· Create and promote exit routes for those who wish to further develop their skills and knowledge.

Chris Gregory, of the St Albans Sport & Health Development Team run by Leisure Connection in partnership with St Albans City and District Council, has been coordinating the project in partnership with Batchwood Golf & Tennis Centre and Abbey View 9 Hole course.

The funding secured will allow the sport development team to deliver a coordinated junior golf development programme for a period of 2 years which includes:

· Tri-Golf taster sessions in local primary schools

· A bi-annual Tri-Golf festival for all schools involved in the tasters

· Appropriate training opportunities for delivery staff (teachers and volunteers)

· A follow up programme of golf coaching at the partner clubs for those children enthused by the tasters and festival and after school club

· Opportunities for interested children to further their talent by the provision of low cost, temporary membership opportunities as a springboard into more formal membership opportunities

· Ensure that all club based activity is conducted at clubs that have achieved 'Junior Golf Mark' accreditation or are working towards this accreditation.

Chris Gregory said: "We are thrilled to be able to take the sport of golf to the children and young people of St Albans. We have an exciting programme of activities planned which will enthuse the children and hopefully encourage their interest in golf and other sporting activities. Leisure Connection, in partnership with St Albans City and District Council want to see more people, more active, more often."

Batchwood Golf & Tennis Club in conjunction with Abbey View 9 Hole has already successfully gained their 'Junior Golf Mark' accreditation from the English Golf Union, which signifies the clubs junior friendly approach. Therefore, the youngsters will be fed into the Junior Golf Passport scheme running at these two sights.

U12 Girls Football

Football Development

3 Lions Girls Programme!

The St Albans Sport and Health Development Team, St Albans Rangers Youth and the Hertfordshire FA are working in partnership to deliver the FA's 3 Lions project in the St Albans District. The aim of the 3 Lions project is to increase the number of girls either training or playing with their local youth football club.

Taster sessions for girls aged 7 - 11 years were held at Bowmansgreen school in July leading into a five week coaching programme held on sunday mornings from 10.30 - 11.30am. The training sessions were completely free and led by FA qualified criminal record checked Level 2 coaches from St Albans Rangers Youth. The coaching sessions were such a huge success attracting over twenty girls, so we have extended the coaching into September but switched the training to Saturday mornings 10.30 - 11.30am. All the girls that attended the programme have been offered the chance to join the club and take part in monthly festivals to be held at charter standard clubs across Hertfordshire. The First Festival is being hosted by St Albans Rangers Youth on Saturday 30th September at their Harperbury ground, and will bring together teams of girls currently taking part in the 3 Lions Programme across Hertfordshire.

If you wish to attend the 3 Lions coaching programme at Bowmansgreen Primary School on Saturday mornings, or would like more information on the initiative please contact Chris at the Sports Development Team on 01727 827667.