News

Monday 22 October 2007

University chosen to nurture budding sport stars of tomorrow

Gifted children identified as potential sporting superstars of tomorrow will attend a ‘talent camp’ at Nottingham Trent University after it was chosen as a regional academy aimed at helping to develop their core sports skills. The University will become one of just nine pilot Regional Multi-skills Academies (RMSA) across the UK as part of the Youth Sport Trust’s National Talent Strategy.

Nottingham Trent University’s successful bid was made in partnership with the Play Sport project – an initiative run through Nottinghamshire County Council’s Sports Service, which has been working in the area of multi-skills development for a number of years.

Training and assessment in a variety of sports and games will be delivered by Play Sport’s multi-skills coaches during the event at the university’s Clifton Campus. They will be supported by a team of Nottingham Trent University students who are already responsible for delivering the institution’s award-winning coach4sport project. This also focuses on a multi-skilled method of sports coaching and offers students the chance to work towards a coaching award of their choice.

More than 100 eight to twelve year olds from across the East Midlands showing potential for sporting success will attend the RMSA on February 14, 2008. It is intended to be non-sport specific and will look at encouraging a variety of generic skills such as agility, balance, co-ordination and creativity.

The initiative is part of the Youth Sport Trust’s multi-skills approach which aims to prevent specialisation in a particular sport too early – an issue which has been shown to have a detrimental effect on a child’s sports development.

Director of Sport and Lifestyle at Nottingham Trent University, James Hayter, said: "We’re delighted to have been selected as a Regional Multi-skills Academy by the Youth Sport Trust and excited to be working with the successful Play Sport team. The feedback we received as part of our bid was excellent, despite serious competition from other higher education institutions."

He added: "This project enhances our reputation for being a university with a proven track record for delivering excellent community sport initiatives. It also reaffirms the University’s commitment to its students’ personal development."

Joanne Emmett, Gifted and Talented Link Development Officer for the Youth Sport Trust, said: "The development of Regional Multi-skills Academies will provide a fun and challenging environment for talented young people from the area.  They will also provide local Multi-skills Academy practitioners with a unique opportunity to further their knowledge and share best practice around the selection for and content of the local events. The Youth Sport Trust is pleased that Nottingham Trent University has agreed to work with us to develop this concept in the pilot phase."

ENDS

Notes for editors: The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Its mission is to support the education and development of all young people through PE and sport. The Youth Sport Trust supports England’s 449 School Sport Partnerships which are working together to develop PE and sport opportunities for all young people and helps to deliver the National School Sport Strategy. For more information visit the Youth Sport Trust website.

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