Future Champions
Future Champions has been established as part of the Tees Valley 2012 Legacy Action Plan to help talented athletes and players aged 12 - 18 years. The support is targeted at young people playing at a regional and national level and we have been delighted at the numbers and quality of young people accessing the programme to date.
To achieve success at the highest level young people need more than just raw talent in their chosen sport. Laying the right foundations requires both athletes and coaches to ensure that the physical development needed to underpin top class performance is delivered through a training programme followed by the athlete. Future Champions are offered free and subsidised access to fitness and leisure facilities and a physical development programme developed by Teesside University.
We are also keen to support coaches through Future Champions and a training and development programme will provide them an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to support the development of Future Champions and other young athletes in clubs.
Future Champion Laura Kotch, Cyclist says "I really enjoyed the fitness assessment at the University and the different exercises they made me do. Being able to use the gym and exercise classes within the leisure centres is great and when I get the specific exercises from the University I can continue doing these."
Pip Stone, Endurance runner "I was very excited to be chosen to be part of Teesside University's Future Champions Programme. Recently I have had a movement dynamic test at the University and my results show where I need to improve. I have just got a card for free access to sport facilities to help me do this, I think it's a great programme so far."
The second intake of Future Champions has just completed their testing programme linked to the physical development support through Teesside University. We have accepted 12 athletes on to the programme, joining the 30 Future Champions from the first intake in November 2010. Please click here to access the application form. The table below highlight the number of applications for each local authority area and the range of sports covered to date.
The next deadline for applications is March 31st 2011.
