Background
Linford Christie and Darren Campbell share the same vision,
to breakdown the significant barriers which prevent youngsters
from believing in their own talents and not having the confidence
in their futures to set even the smallest ambitions. It
is believed that Sport can play a huge part in engaging
young people that reflects positively in other areas of
their lives.
2005 Pilot Scheme
Manchester City Council was identified as having the Sporting
and Community infrastructure which could successfully deliver
the pilot of Street Athletics. The Scheme is a very simple
one, which works through the development of close working
relationships with the City’s Community Workers and
establishing a positive atmosphere of fun and ambition built
on trust. The young people we were targeting (U20,U17,U15
& U13’s) regularly feel alienated by the traditional
schemes or on occasion exploited through the media interest
at the events. Street Athletics aimed to engage these people
without having to rely on the media and therefore, the focus
on each of the days leading up to the Final was about them
with the greatest opportunities to interact with Linford
and Darren They were not centred around interviews with
the media. Those youngsters who didn’t make it through
to the Final, were encouraged to join the local Athletics
Clubs and to look out for the Scheme again in 2006. There
was a friendly police and medic presence at each of the
venues and these personnel were encouraged to take part
in the running of the activities, which led to some excellent
community relations.
The Final took place on 16th August 2005 outside Manchester’s
Town Hall, which attracted a strong media presence adding
to the sense of “occasion”. The showcasing of
some of Manchester’s talented musicians added to the
credible, exciting and energetic feeling of the event. The
winners of each age group received a year’s kit sponsorship
from Reebok and some cash, with every finalist receiving
a pair of Reebok trainers and Street Athletics Final T-shirt.
Continued...
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