scw gaining momentum
DESCRIPTION
Additional publication to accompany the Sports Council for Wales' 2007-08 Annual Report.TRANSCRIPT
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sports council walescyngor chwaraeon cymru
introduction
the sports Council for Wales is the national
organisation responsible for developing
and promoting sport and physical activity
in Wales.
the Council is one of the main contributors
to ’Climbing higher’, the Welsh assembly
Government’s 20 year strategy for sport
and physical activity. the strategy sets
some challenging targets for increasing
physical activity levels in Wales. With only
59% of the population participating in a
recognised sport, ‘Climbing higher’ calls
for those partners working in the field
of sport and physical activity to work
together to promote the benefits of an
active lifestyle.
there are two major strands to the
Council’s work and increasing physical
activity is just one of them. achieving
excellence in Welsh sport is the other and
the Council has put systems in place
to develop the next generation of elite
competitors. identifying talent, ensuring it
is developed by gifted coaches, providing
appropriate competition and offering
excellent services are all key elements of
the Council’s work.
this publication outlines key recent
successes, demonstrating the contribution
the Council is making to the future
development of sport and physical activity
in Wales.
Further information on the work of the
Sports Council for Wales can be found by
visiting: www.sports-council-wales.org.uk
or by calling 0845 045 0904.
Talycopa AFC
Page 2
Children’s water polo
grand final – Page 3
Striving for success
Page 4
Rhyl High School plays
for success – Page 5
Active commuting
Page 6
National judo facility
Page 7
Mainstreaming the Welsh
language – Page 8
From Mumbai to Maindy
Page 9
Teaming up with
Dragon sport – Page 11
Starting off on the right tee
Page 12
An exercise in learning -
Stephen Cox – Page 14
Toeing the line in Caerphilly
Page 15
North Wales’ talent support
network – Page 16
Healthy schools
Page 18
sports council wales
cyngor chwaraeon cymru
design: www.blacksheep.info
Gaining
momentum
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:01
after the success of a previous Community Chest grant, talycopa aFC in swansea had big plans to grow even further.
the Club obtained FaW Bronze
accreditation after its first
award, but they soon realised
there was no football activity
locally for children in the u7 and
u8 age groups.
after a second application, the
Club received a Community
Chest award to introduce two
new teams for the u7 and u8
age groups. in addition, the
Club will train six volunteers to
coach the new sides and it also
intends to recruit more female
coaches. talycopa aFC now
intends to apply for FaW silver/
Gold accreditation.
Children across south Wales put their aquatic skills to the test when they took part in the inaugural south Wales mini water polo grand final at aberdare Pool.
over 80 children aged 12 and under,
representing mini water polo leagues from
Bridgend, monmouthshire, swansea and
neath Port talbot, made it to the finals of
the new competition after beating their
counterparts at the south east and south
West Wales semi-finals.
having successfully offered mini water polo
as part of the Free swimming initiative in
the school holiday periods, the children’s
league was set up across south Wales
in 2007 and now extends beyond this to
provide sessions during term time.
Funding for the league was granted
through the Welsh assembly Government’s
Free swimming improvement Fund. over
£7,000 was invested to purchase new
equipment, provide coach education and
develop mini water polo clubs across south
Wales, resulting in over 300 new children
training and competing weekly.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:02
talycopa aFC
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:03
Children take
part in
water polo
grand final
Kate arnold has fierce ambitions to succeed and has london 2012 firmly in her sights.
Born with a congenital
amputation of her left arm, she
has clocked a personal best
of 14.53s over 100m and 30.28s
over 200m which has made
her one of Britain’s brightest
Paralympic track talents.
it is her determination which
puts her in pole position for
london 2012. and she is no
stranger to success - a world-
class swimmer, she switched
from the pool to the track in
2006. Within 12 months of the
sporting switchover, arnold
headed for Chinese taipei
where she competed in the
iWas World Championships
– she finished sixth in both the
100m and 200m.
she is now a member of
darrell maynard’s training stable
which means that she is able to
train alongside her role model
John mcFall, who is also a
serious contender for
the Paralympic podium.
a member of the disability sport
Wales academy, london 2012 is
a definite target for Kate.
“it would be so nice to race
there. i think competing on
home ground would be
fantastic.” said Kate recently.
and with her current success,
you wouldn’t bet against it.
rhyl high school has recently established a new table tennis club to encourage young people to enjoy the sport.
as part of their commitment to the sports
Council’s 5x60 scheme, the school initially
arranged ‘taster’ sessions for pupils using
equipment that was already available in
the school. Following the success of the
taster sessions, a regular lunchtime club
was established to run once a week.
Working closely with the table tennis
association of Wales, local coaches were
identified to assist in running the sessions.
more enthusiastic senior players were then
encouraged to attend coach education
courses enabling them to tutor the
younger players and further enhance the
sustainability of the club.
the sessions have now grown from a
lunchtime school club into a regular
community club, and rhyl table tennis
Club now meets twice a week for two-
hour sessions. the first hour is set aside for
younger players (primary & secondary
age) and the second hour for seniors
(parents of younger players and other
interested adults).
With coaches now being sourced from
within the club, additional funding has
been provided through Community
Chest for coach education.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:04
striving for success
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:05
rhyl high school
plays for success
one of the trust’s aims is to
promote active commuting
and physical activity, and this
has led to the organisation
being nominated as one of
the sports Council for Wales’
workplace intervention projects.
a travel survey was undertaken
by the trust to identify the
distance travelled by staff
to work, and at the same
time, identify the barriers that
prevents them from walking or
cycling to work.
swansea nhs trust employs 9,000 people across seven sites. the majority of the trust’s workforce is based at singleton and morriston hospitals where acute healthcare services are located.
Following the survey, the
trust appointed a travel and
transport Co-ordinator to
promote active commuting.
since the appointment of
the Co-ordinator, a number
of measures have been
introduced including the
relocation of the staff car park,
reassessment of parking permit
criteria, car sharing incentives
and free breakfasts for walkers &
cyclists, in an attempt to reduce
car travel by staff to work.
the national dojo will be
available all day and every
day to squads of all ages and
abilities and will provide vital
mat space for local clubs. its
introduction will also ensure that
it meets the needs of Wales’
élite judo players and gives
them access to high levels of
coaching to give them the best
possible opportunity to fulfil their
future potential.
the Welsh Judo association
has for many years advocated
establishing a dedicated,
permanent training facility
in Wales. in particular, neil
adams mBe, the Welsh national
Coach, had stated that a
dedicated base is essential for
the development of the sport:
“having a dedicated dojo
in Wales will make a massive
difference when it comes to
building up a talent academy
and establishing links with clubs
and universities in Wales – and
it is the only way that we can
ensure that Wales can continue
to perform at the highest level
in the sport.”
a dedicated facility designed to cultivate the judo talent of the future is to be established at the Welsh institute of sport in Cardiff.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:06
active commuting
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:07
Welsh institute
of sport to host
national judo
facility
the sports Council for Wales and the Welsh language Board have joined forces to increase the opportunities for people across Wales to access sport through the medium of Welsh.
a new Welsh language
development officer post has
been created by the sports
Council for Wales to ensure
that there are more coaches,
resources and provisions
available for people to be able
to access sport through the
Welsh language.
the partnership will aim to
work with governing bodies,
local authorities and sports
clubs and offer support to
those organisations who wish
to increase their own use of
the Welsh language, as well as
creating links between schools,
sports bodies and Welsh
language bodies.
in the first year, the partnership
will concentrate on three key
areas - Ceredigion, Conwy
and rhondda Cynon taf. it is
hoped that the partnership will
be rolled out to the remaining
local authorities in Wales in
future years.
Women in Cardiff are ditching the gym in favour of Bollywood. instead of pounding the treadmill and pumping weights, women are turning to Bollywood dance for their latest workout.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:08
mainstreaming
the Welsh
language
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:09
From mumbai
to maindy
a 10-week Bollywood dance
course was arranged earlier
this year by Cardiff County
Council at the india Centre
- but the eager dancers were
disappointed by the lack of
sessions elsewhere in
the capital.
the problem was quickly
identified as a shortage of
qualified instructors, and
the sports Council for Wales
stepped in to fund the training
of additional leaders to the
tune of £4,000 through its
regeneration Challenge
programme.
Cardiff’s Bollywood
phenomenon started out at
maindy swimming Pool and
the Channel View Centre but
the dance mantra is soon to
spread to a number of schools
across the city with dance
sessions being arranged as
part of the 5x60 programme.
local dragon sport officer
helena mcdaid is always on
the look out for volunteers,
and was overjoyed when
she received such a positive
welcome from the Police to
get involved in helping out at
schools in the county.
a number of support officers
have completed an active
young People training Course,
and will now help run dragon
sport clubs offering 7-11
year olds the opportunity to
broaden their sporting interests
outside school.
through their involvement,
the officers hope they will
be able to establish valuable
links with local schools, make
themselves more familiar and
approachable to the young
people in their wards and
encourage healthy living.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:10
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:11
teaming up with
dragon sport
Police Community support officers in torfaen have kicked-off a new initiative to encourage youngsters in the area to become more active.
Clays Farm Golf Club in Wrexham has benefited to the tune of £284,000 to develop a regional centre of excellence for players based in north east Wales.
the project includes the construction of a short game practice area, indoor putting facility as well as alterations to the driving range.
the planned improvements form part of
the Golf union of Wales’ national and
regional facility plan - ‘making a move’.
the aims are twofold. Firstly, the club will act
as an all-year-round venue for élite squad
sessions and, secondly, it is envisaged that
the improved facilities will help increase the
number of young people participating
in golf.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:12
starting off on
the right tee
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:13
stephen has a passion for
learning that has enhanced
his own skills and opened a
world of sporting opportunities
for children and adults with
disabilities in Powys.
stephen has achieved
coaching qualifications in
athletics, basketball, cricket,
football and volleyball.
also, stephen has completed
specialist training qualifications
for coaching disabled children
and adults and subsequently
founded the n-able sport Club
in newtown.
stephen’s contribution was
recognised recently when he
was crowned as ‘2008 sports
learner of the year’, an award
sponsored by the sports
Council for Wales to recognise
the importance of learning
in sport.
When llanbrynmair’s stephen Cox lost his job as a rural outreach worker, he took the decision to return to learning and dedicated his time to completing a raft of coaching qualifications.
Phillipstown Community Centre is located in one of the most deprived areas of Caerphilly County Borough.
the Centre is working hard
to encourage local people
to become more physically
active, and have identified
line dancing as being a
relatively easy, fun activity that
doesn’t require a great deal
of endurance or strength and
is therefore a good way of
getting people involved.
With help from Community
Chest to fund an instructor
and equipment, the Centre
has now arranged weekly line
dancing classes. initially, the
classes are aimed at adults
in the community, although
younger members will also be
encouraged to join.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:14
an exercise
in learning
- stephen Cox
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:15
toeing the line
in Caerphilly
the sports Council for Wales has unveiled a new support system for talented north Wales based sports people and their coaches.
the north Wales regional institute of sport
is a network of buildings, coaches and
support services, all working together to
help identify tomorrow’s talented individuals
and to supply them, and their coaches,
with access to a wide range of support to
meet their growing needs.
established with a £250,000 cash injection
from the Welsh assembly Government, the
north Wales regional institute - which will
work out of its headquarters at Plas menai
national Watersports Centre in Caernarfon
- will work in partnership with the national
Governing Bodies of sport to enable élite
athletes based in north Wales to access
high levels of coaching and support
services.
the ultimate aim will be to increase
representation from the north in national
and GB teams and squads.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:16
north Wales’
sporting talent
reap benefits
of new support
network
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:17
meadowlane Primary school in Cardiff recently hosted a ‘healthy school’ event for pupils and teachers as part of the Pess scheme.
in the school grounds, 30 children participated in a tag
rugby skills session and mini rugby tournaments. inside
the building, dukebox dance got teachers and pupils
on their feet in a street and hip-hop workshop.
the event was arranged to promote health and active
lifestyles and was well received by both teachers and
pupils. the sessions were supported by eight post-16
pupils from llanrumney high school, who assisted the
dance and rugby coaches as part of their sports
leaders work.
one year/12 months/365 days/ GaininGmomentum
sPortsCounCilFor Wales
00:00:18
healthy schools