Local sports teams hit the streets!

Sports teams from the Tees Valley shared in the glory as they descended on The Sporting Club, Cramlington to join hundreds of young people from across the region at the annual ‘Regional StreetGames Festival’.

The teams travelled north to compete in football, basketball and StreetCheer events and a fantastic effort from two of our local football teams meant that they battled it out in the final of the boys’ under-12’s competition. Owton Manor from Hartlepool (pictured below) eventually defeating St Cuthberts of Middlesbrough to capture the trophy.
 

Chairman of the Owton Manor youth project, John Reid was overjoyed with the result;

“I’m over the moon! It’s fantastic what our youth project have achieved. StreetGames events are great for youth and community projects to be involved in and to come up here and beat teams from across the north east to win this trophy is brilliant. I would also like to say a big thank you to all the youth leaders who work so hard to make projects like ours such a success.”

St Cuthberts project leader, Chris Brown was also enthusiastic about the day;

“It was great to come up here and represent the Tees Valley. With the support of Sarah Stephenson, our local StreetGames coordinator, we have been able to engage young people in sport and have now managed to setup two football teams through the project.”

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural festival in Middlesbrough and this summer’s local StreetGames events, teams from across Tees Valley, Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland were selected to take part in a range of activities including street dance, handball, tennis factory, climbing wall, triathlon, ultimate frisbee, cricket, basketball, street cheer and football.

The festival was organised by StreetGames, a charity dedicated to developing sporting opportunities for young people living in disadvantaged communities and supported by the Co-operative through their StreetGames Volunteering Scheme – which helps to tackle social exclusion and provide young people with volunteering opportunities.

Su Cumming, regional representative for StreetGames, was keen to see the festival build on the success of last year;

“This was a fantastic opportunity for all our young people to show their sporting talents in a fun and friendly environment. The event was a fantastic finale to this summer’s StreetGames events and demonstrates how StreetGames continues to grow across the region, providing sporting activities to many young people who would not usually have access to these kinds of opportunities.”

For more information on StreetGames in the Tees Valley contact Sarah Stephenson on 01642 342287 or at s.stephenson@tees.ac.uk