Medway Sporting Academy
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The Medway Sporting Academy gives every primary school child in Medway the opportunity to fulfil his or her full sporting potential. |
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It is the first scheme of its kind in the country and will identify and develop Britain’s Olympic heroes of tomorrow.
The Medway Sporting Academy focuses on the long-term development of the area’s most promising talents by creating a fully integrated pathway to excellence.
It has been developed in consultation with Medway's two International Sporting Ambassadors, Danny Crates and Steve Backley; the Youth Sport Trust; Medway’s PE and School Sport Strategy Group; local primary schools; local Clubmark clubs; and Medway’s Community Sports Network.
The successful Medway Sporting Academy recruits will be nurtured by expert coaches for five years to develop their key skills and knowledge of all aspects of sports performance as they make the transition from promising child to junior athlete.
The successful academy recruits will attend monthly sessions that will focus on developing their skills in areas including:
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The combination of the academy sessions, club coaches, and university sports science experts will give the recruits every chance of fulfilling their sporting potential.
The academy’s robust talent identification system will identify the top one per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds in Medway based on their all-round sporting attributes and abilities.
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This will be achieved by identifying the top primary-school-aged children and inviting them to a skills assessment day at Medway Park. The children identified for their performances at Mini Youth Games events will be joined by children nominated by their school and other nominated by their club. Every academy recruit will join a club in a sport to which they are suited or that they would like to try. Their club coaches will develop the skills they need in that particular sport; while the academy’s all round approach develops them as athletes. |
The academy coaches will work closely with the athletes’ club coaches and with their families to develop the skills, mentality and lifestyle they will need to succeed in sport.
The academy’s patron, Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder Danny Crates said, “I am very honored to be patron of the Medway sporting academy. It is essential that we harness the talent of our future champions, and nurture it in a controlled environment. Medway is definitely leading the field in this area.”
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You can see Danny and pupils from Featherby Junior School, Park Wood Junior School and St Margaret's Junior School in the Medway Sporting Academy promotional film (www.spaghettiweston.com/medway-sporting-academy.html).