The above project is now about to enter its second year with over 350 primary school children throughout 19 primary schools having already benefited from athletics, cricket, tennis and hockey coaching. The project was designed to promote social inclusion and regeneration by using sport as a vehicle to connect with young people who previously would not have had the opportunity to benefit from coaching in the above sports. The project is largely funded through Sportscotland and is delivered in partnership with Sports Developments Widening Opportunities Officer and the Active Primary School Coordinators within the St Columbus cluster.
Using skilled qualified coaches who are attached to local clubs enables children if they are interested in continuing with a particular sport to feed into the local club programmes. Where transport is an issue and this is this is not possible we are aiming to set up satellite clubs in the children’s local areas. We have already set up a satellite tennis club up in High Valleyfield with a view to setting up a satellite hockey club in Oakley. The coaches in partnership with the governing bodies are also offering basic coaching and leadership training qualifications for older youths, teachers and interested members of the community with 21 teachers having already completed a tennis leader’s course.