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Are you ready to 'Be a Sporting Hero?'

Research shows that three months after we made our New Year's resolutions, more than 78% of us have let our good intentions slide - but - as we turn our clocks to summertime - the Tony Blair Sports Foundation is giving you an opportunity to make a fresh start, get fit and help local children at the same time. The ‘Be a Sporting Hero’ Campaign, launched this week, is targeted at community organisations and workplaces and aims to find and train volunteers who will help children play sport.

The Foundation already has over 500 members and has trained over 300 Level 1 and Level 2 coaches who are helping in sports clubs and organisations across the region. Having successfully recruited people who are already active in sport, we now want to help organisations in the community where need is greatest and is appealing to people to "get off the couch and become a coach".

Tony Blair said:

“You don't have to have a sporting background to come and join us. We want to hear from people who perhaps have a passing interest and watch football, tennis or other sports on TV. So long as you have a commitment to helping more children play sport we can provide you with the training and support you need - and we'll place you with sports clubs and youth clubs where you'll make a real difference to them.”

Jeanette Pickard, Chief Executive of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation said:

“Very often the real heroes in sport are overlooked. They are the volunteers who give so much of their time coaching and supporting athletes, cyclist, rowers, or basketball players - those who just want to increase their fitness and those that go on to make it at top level. We are trying to find the next generation of coaches and give them the training and opportunities to succeed. That's why we are going into community organisations and workplaces to seek out these future sporting heroes.”

The Foundation pays 50% of the fees for people who take Level 1 sporting qualifications across six sports – Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Football, Rowing and Tennis. In return it asks members who sign up to give a small amount of time volunteering in their community with sports clubs or youth groups to help develop more sporting activities for children.

The ‘Be a Sporting Hero’ campaign is being rolled out across the North East in the coming months and starts its roadshow this month in the Tees Valley. Workplaces, Community Organisations, and even Doctors Surgeries are all being targeted to encourage and find future coaches from a wide range of different backgrounds.

One organisation that has signed up to the campaign is Whale Hill Community Association in Eston, Redcar & Cleveland.

Olwyn Peters, Chair of Whale Hill Community Association said:

“This is a fantastic scheme. We are working with the Tony Blair Sports foundation to help recruit people from the community to train as coaches and volunteer to help kids but we will benefit directly too. We have around 90 children attending our youth group each week and we need to organise sporting activities for them. Hopefully the Foundation can help us by placing volunteer cycling, basketball and football coaches with us. It’s a unique and exciting initiative and it’s great to be involved.”