Since May 2006 The National Ice Centre (NIC) has been working with the School Sport Partnerships (SSP) in the Nottingham area to help increase participation in sports and physical activity with young people aged 14–16.
The SSP’s Nottingham City, Rushcliffe and Broxtowe have received funding to employ Community Sports Coaches to work with secondary schools targeting young people in school years 10 and 11 and involving them in additional activities out of school hours.
The project has and continues to involve coaches from the NIC working in over 30 secondary schools across Nottingham delivering inline skating and inline hockey sessions. The project will provide skates, elbow/leg pads and hockey sticks. The aims are to teach young people the skills of skating, encourage participation and to further their involvement through the ice based coaching programmes at the NIC.
Schools that have taken part already in the programme are:
- Ellis Guilford * Top Valley
- Trinity * Rushcliffe
- Bramcote Hills * Toothill
- West Bridgford * Farnborough
- Dayncourt * Southwold
- Djanogly * Bramcote
- River Leen * Kimberley
- Haywood * Bigwood
Nick Robb, Partnership Development Manager for the Ellis Guilford School Sport Partnership in Nottingham said “We are really excited about the skating programme with the National Ice Centre. Young people need new and exciting sports to grab their interest and the feedback we have had from schools is that the skating programme is very popular, in particular with young people who do not currently get involved in sports clubs and activities outside of their normal PE lessons”
Matt Bradbury, Sports Development Officer at the National Ice Centre added “We have been working closely with schools around Nottingham for a few years now, but this project provides us with the opportunity to reach out to a whole new group of young people who have never tried skating before. We hope through this project we will see many young people gaining the confidence, skills and enthusiasm to carry on skating in the future.”
