Member Article

Regional stars kick off Sports Academy

Stars from the region’s top professional sports teams will be helping to launch a new scheme at Tyne Metropolitan College this week. The new North East Sports Academy aims to give school leavers with the potential to excel at their chosen sport the chance to get access to specialist coaching and facilities, as well as to get good qualifications to use later in life.

The Academy is being launched at a special open evening at the College’s Coast Road Campus from 6-8pm today. It is being run in partnership with several of the North East’s top clubs, including Newcastle United FC, Newcastle Falcons RFC, Newcastle Eagles basketball team and Team Northumbria netball.

Past and present stars from all these teams, including Newcastle Utd legend Peter Beardsley and defender Peter Ramage, and England women’s football internationals Steph Houghton and Carly Telford, will be attending the event.

The North East Sports Academy will provide young people who are considering whether to carry on in education with the chance to study for their qualifications as well as receiving ten hours each week of coaching in their chosen sport. The Academy is offering six sports to start with - men’s and women’s football, rugby union, badminton, netball and basketball.

Phil Green, Principal of Tyne Metropolitan College, said: “Combining good qualifications and a high standard of performance in sport is an excellent basis for a good quality of life, and we want to encourage young people who are good at sport to enhance both their sporting skills and educational credentials at the same time.

“Turning professional is the dream of many young and highly talented sportsmen and women, and we hope some of our Academy students will get this chance - the North East Sports Academy will help them develop and hone their skills with this goal in mind, and will also help develop the “grass roots” of each sport.”

For further information on the North East Sports Academy , please visit www.northeastsportsacademy.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .