Sector Focus


Sport The Business of Sport


Budding football star earns call-up to England camp


On tour: Geoff Thomas


Charity’s lucrative Tour partnership


Cure Leukaemia has been named as the first ever official charity partner of the Tour de France in the UK. The Birmingham-based national


blood cancer charity will partner with the major cycling event for 2021, 2022 and 2023. And, as part of the partnership,


Cure Leukaemia’s cycling fundraiser, The Tour 21, will see amateur cyclists take on all 21 stages of the Tour de France one week ahead of the professionals. The Tour 21 is due to take place


between 19 June and 11 July 2021, with amateur cyclists led by former footballer and blood cancer survivor Geoff Thomas taking on the route in a bid to raise £1m for Cure Leukaemia. In 2017, Geoff cycled the Tour de


France for a fourth time as well as the Giro D’Italia and Vuelta to help Cure Leukaemia raise an additional £1m towards the expansion of one of Europe’s biggest haematology centres, based in Birmingham. This year, 15 years after he first


took on the Tour, Geoff was due to ride for the final time with 18 other amateur. But the event was cancelled due to Covid-19, leaving Cure Leukaemia with a £1m shortfall. Geoff said: “Ultimately, the


purpose of taking on these challenges is to provide hope to blood cancer patients in the same position that I was back in 2003 and now this event is set to continue doing this after I finally hang my cleats up in July 2021. “Through this partnership, the


Tour 21 event in 2021 and onwards will open up a range of exclusive opportunities for our team including staying in the same hotels which will be used by the professionals a week later.” Cure Leukaemia chief executive


James McLaughlin said: “This partnership is true testament and legacy to Geoff’s extraordinary and selfless efforts to help and inspire others over the last 17 years.”


A rising Sutton Coldfield football star who dreams of representing England put her best boot forward after being called up by the England Lionesses under-16s squad. Fifteen-year-old Arthur Terry


School student Martha MacPhail (pictured) was selected to attend the England Lionesses U16 residential training camp for the England Women’s under 16 age group.


Martha plays for Aston Villa


Women’s Regional Talent Centre U16s and is also part of the newly formed Villa Women’s Academy talent day release programme. The year 11 student undertook


intense match training, including strength and conditioning, along


with education workshops around performance psychology. Martha, who often plays in


the right back position, said: “I was pleased to have been selected for the camp this time round, given the current climate with Covid. “It’s been hard


keeping fit throughout the last six months, but I have been focused on my goals and hopefully I’ll be rewarded with an England call up one day.” During her training, Martha was


assigned time to complete her school work. Aston Villa Women has launched a dual career


pathway, a programme to support future stars of the game to manage elite football expectations and studies so that players are well qualified individuals. Cristina Torkildsen,


youth technical director at Aston Villa Women’s


Football Club, said: “We couldn’t be


prouder of Martha for her international call up,


she deserves it and has worked


incredibly hard to achieve this.” Arthur Terry School PE teacher


Donna Horspool said: “Martha’s dedication and attitude towards chasing her dreams is exemplary, she is a fabulous role model.”


Villa foundation backs canal project


Claret and blue canalside: Pete Ezard, Amber Wassell and Jack Johnson from the Aston Villa Foundation, with Elizabeth Houghton, Canal & River Trust


The Aston Villa Foundation has joined forces with the Canal & River Trust to help care for a stretch of the Tame Valley Canal in Perry Barr. The Foundation is a registered charity that delivers


the community and social responsibility work of the football club. Foundation members will carry out general


maintenance along the canal to make it a welcoming place for the community to visit, from cutting back overgrown trees and bushes, painting lock gates and


planting up flower beds. A team has already been out planting bulbs along the canalside – and these will flower next spring, in the club colours of claret and blue. Terry Hodgetts, business and corporate engagement manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: The Foundation already do so much positive work within the community. Hats off to Aston Villa, as they are the first football club to support their local community in this way.”


Sports initiative to tackle youth crime


A community interest company is working with the police in an effort to divert youths away from crime and gangs. The sport-based initiative has


been launched following a huge rise in truancy at city schools, sparked by the Covid-19 crisis. Some schools are reportedly seeing attendance as low as 20 per cent.


74 CHAMBERLINK December 2020/January 2021 The CIC is 5UP, who help young


people at risk of being caught up in crime and other anti-social activities, including drug use. The company’s new initiative will


provide these at risk youths with mixed martial arts activities, along with indoor football and general fitness activities. The two-month programme,


which will target eight city schools, is being funded by Sport Birmingham. 5UP chief executive Nathan


Bendon said: “We have been working with West Midlands Police since July for their referred young people, we look forward in delivering another successful programme for West Midlands Police.”


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