Sport FA reveals youth review findings peTe hayman


Recommendations to improve the development of young football players have been unveiled following an exten- sive review carried out by the Football Association (FA). FA director of football


development Sir Trevor Brooking identified 25 mea- sures in order to help improve the sport from grassroots level to the Club England set-up. A reform of the way that


youth football is delivered in England has been placed at the centre of the proposals, while another major theme focuses on coach development. Te FA is proposing to invest in the education of coaches, which will comple- ment the new St George’s Park development near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. FA general secretary Alex Horne said: “Te recommendations are fundamental in helping


Te FA review aims to help improve the development of young players


us to ensure that we produce more and better English players. “Te FA must ensure that the highest qual-


ity coaches are available to the game, and that coaches are trained with the right skills to spe- cifically work with young players at every age across clubs from grassroots to elite level.”


February date for Lancashire CCC hearing peTe hayman


Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) has announced that a legal case designed to halt its multi-million pound overhaul of Old Trafford is to be heard on 28 February. Derwent Holdings has


applied for a judicial review of Trafford Council’s decision to back the project, which aims to secure the venue’s interna- tional cricket status. LCCC chief executive Jim


Cumbes said the verdict would be a “make or break” decision for the club, which has already seen a £2m reduc- tion in grant funding due to the delay. Cumbes said: “If we cannot bring the ground


up to international standard, the North-west will lose Test cricket and the Ashes for good.


LCCC aims to secure Old Trafford’s status as an international stadium “Derwent’s action is about securing com-


mercial gain at the expense of the LCCC’s sporting legacy for schools, community groups and young people,” he added.


Sports minister slams football governance peTe hayman


Football has been described as the “worst-gov- erned sport in this country” by the minister for sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson. Speaking in response to Parliamentary ques- tions on the matter, Robertson said that “action


© CYBERTREK 2011 Te first funding awards will be revealed in April


Clubs encouraged to bid for Sportsmatch funding


peTe hayman


Grassroots sports clubs and voluntary organisations are being encouraged to bid for grants as part of Sport England’s Sportsmatch programme. Te initiative has been relaunched for


2011-12 and enables not-for-profit groups to bid for between £1,000-£100,000 to match commercial sponsorship. Clubs, voluntary groups, governing bod-


ies and other organisations are now being invited to submit applications, with the first awards to be anounced in early April.


Banstead swimming pool decision deferred


peTe hayman


A decision on plans for a new ‘dry-only’ lei- sure centre in Banstead, Surrey, have been deferred by the local authority. Reigate and Banstead Borough Council’s


is needed” in order to tackle issues surround- ing the regulation of the domestic game. In December, the culture, media and sport


select committee launched a probe into how the sport is governed and to identify measures that could help improve the domestic game.


Twitter: @leisureopps


(RBBC) proposals to build a replacement venue for the town without a swimming pool attracted nearly 2,000 objections. RBBC leader Joan Spiers said: “Given


the concerns expressed in the consulta- tion responses regarding Banstead pool, members wish to have more information before taking a final decision.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 3


Glasgow 2014 shooting centre gets go ahead


Tom waLker


A £4.5m project to upgrade the Morton Farm shooting centre in West Lothian to enable it to host events during the 2014 Commonwealth Games has been given the green light by the Scottish Government. Te project is led by sportscotland and


the Scottish Target Shooting Federation (STSF) and would lead to a major expan- sion of the existing clay pigeon shooting site at Morton Farm. According to STSF, the project will create a “long-lasting legacy” from the Games.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24