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YOUTH FOCUS
School children
£225m available
benefit from amateur
boxing initiative
for play schemes
Non-contact boxing is proving to A total of 65 local authorities in
be a huge hit for schoolchildren England will be invited to bid for a
throughout the UK. total of £225m of the government’s
Escape Fitness is supporting national play investment programme.
an initiative with a typical Children’s Minister Ed Balls said
scheme which sets out to 15 local authorities will be
improve both physical activity selected as play pathfinders from
and school attendance. April 2008.
The Voyager School in They will each receive around
Peterborough is introducing £2m capital funding plus
after-school amateur boxing significant revenue funding.
classes for boys and girls from These play pathfinders will work
the ages of 11 to 16. The with children, young people and
sessions will be non-contact and their communities to develop
focus on teaching technique, innovative play sites with challenging
which can lead to accredited equipment and natural landscapes,
Premier league chief opens
awards - preliminary, standard, which will give all children the
bronze, silver and gold - from opportunity to play actively
new £1m sports facilities
the Amateur Boxing Association. outdoors. The play sites will also be Heywood Community School’s The Football Foundation is
Members of the Royal Navy accessible for disabled children. pupils and the local Cinderford dedicated to revitalising the grass
Boxing Club offer a The bids should include plans for community in Gloucestershire roots of the game, constructing
demonstration and talk to building a new staffed adventure are now enjoying new £1m modern football facilities,
children about the sport at a playground, with indoor and sports facilities. developing football as a force for
taster session to mark the launch outdoor facilities, specifically aimed With a grant of £203,424 from social cohesion and as a vehicle
of the first eight-week course. at improving play opportunities for the Football Foundation, the UK’s for education in communities
Peterborough School Sports co- 8-13 year olds where they currently largest sports charity, the school throughout the country. Richard
ordinator, Chris Davitt, says the lack places to go and things to do, now has a full size third generation Scudamore, said: “The Premier
classes have sparked much and often in disadvantaged areas. artificial turf pitch and new League has invested £100m in
excitement among children. Any of the 65 local authorities changing accommodation. the Football Foundation since it
“There’s been a huge amount who are unsuccessful in becoming Premier League Chief Executive started in 2000.
of interest for the after-school a pathfinder, but who submit Richard Scudamore, who sits on Roger Burden, Chairman of
boxing classes, which are all satisfactory bids, will be offered the Board of Trustees for the the Gloucester FA, added: “I am
about having fun, learning new capital funding of approximately Football Foundation, was joined delighted to see that Heywood
skills and improving fitness,” says £1m to develop public play areas, by Chairman of the Community School here in
Chris, who believes the sessions with the first allocations starting in Gloucestershire County Football Gloucestershire is the latest
will also improve discipline April 2008. Association Roger Burden, also a organisation to benefit from that
among the children as well as The scheme is part of the Football Foundation Trustee, in funding with this fantastic new
their attendance. “Our experience government’s target of opening the new facilities. sports development.”
has shown that children who developing up to 3,500 public The new development will mean The Football Foundation has
take part in physical activity in play areas by 2011. that more pupils and people from funded more than 4,800 projects
school have a The list of authorities bidding the local community have the worth over £630m since it was
higher record can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk opportunity to play regular sport. launched in July 2000.
of attendance
than those School playing fields on the planning applications He said: “The measures are
that don’t,” abuse is denied involving playing fields. working and it destroys the myth
he says. The government has denied The figures show that 40 that playing fields are being lost.
accusations that it is failing on its planning applications were “As we look to increase sports
promise to stop the sale of accepted on sites which Sport participation I’d like to see more
community and school playing fields. England believed constituted a school sports pitches and facilities
Don Foster, the Shadow Culture, ‘threat’ to local sports facilities, opened up to wider community
Media and Sport Secretary for the with up to 90 additional use and local authorities putting
Liberal Democrats, said over 300 applications still to be considered. sport higher up their agenda.
small playing fields had been sold in Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe “Evidence shows that when
2005-6, despite the Government’s denied the claims and said the you give people the sports
pledge to end the sale. government had introduced tough facilities they want which they
Foster’s claim comes after the measures to safeguard the future can use all year round
government published its figures of playing fields. participation goes up.”
www.ukleisurenews.co.uk March / April 2008 UK LEISURE NEWS 13
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