****PRESS RELEASE: Sportivate Basketball programme of coaching and competition for young people a great success in Medway****

The Howard School Sports Partnership (which is a network of schools in the Rainham, Gillingham Strood and rural area of Medway) secured ‘Sportivate’ funding to organise expert coaching from the Medway Park Crusaders Basketball club professionals, for young people aged 14 years plus in Medway.

The Sportivate programme forms part of the Sport England ‘Places, People, Play strategy’, which includes part of the £135 million mass participation legacy plans unveiled by the Government in November 2010. The Sportivate programme has been designed to help capture the excitement of sport and London 2012 and to help provide attractive and sustainable community sports opportunities. The Sportivate programme in Kent is administered by the Kent Sport, Leisure and Olympic Service.

Approx. 25 young people from both the Howard School in Rainham and the Brompton Academy in Gillingham received 5 weeks of expert after-school basketball coaching from professional basketball coaches: Adrian Fenyn and Joe Schow. Then on the 6th week there was a friendly competition between the two schools at Medway Park. Both school teams won at least one match each and Craig Nicol (Medway Park Crusaders Basketball Community Coach) was the match official and handed out prizes. Players were also encouraged to come and watch Crusaders matches (EBL division 1) at Medway Park and join the club, to continue playing and enjoy the sport in the longer term.

The Howard School Sport Partnership also secured a small grant from Sport England to establish a new community basketball club at the Howard School for children aged 8 year upwards. This will commence on Thursday 26th January 2012 from 5-6.30pm and will run every Thursday during term time only. The new community club based at the Howard School main sports hall, will be open to children from any school wishing to learn how to play the sport of basketball. Boys and girls of any playing standard (beginners would be particularly welcomed) are very much welcomed and the session will cost £2.00 per person. For further details on this new community club contact: Craig Nicol Head Coach Tel: 07896694228

Claire Moore (Partnership Development Manager) said: ‘This new community club is another exciting playing opportunity for young people in Medway. I am confident that Craig Nicol – Head Coach will help to inspire young people and teach them useful life skills through basketball. Furthermore, this new community club provides an excellent school to community club link and a chance for young people who take their sport more seriously to be directly linked with the Medway Park Crusaders basketball club – which has Clubmark.

We are also actively promoting once a month on the last Thursday of the month a wheelchair Basketball coaching session for young people (sports wheelchairs provided) at the Medway Park in Gillingham. This is led by Mike King – Coach from the Maidstone Rebels Club. For further details contact: Mike King Tel: 07542099375 or 01622 872566 or email: mikeking52@hotmail.com

There are also two Medway School Games competitions organised for both primary and secondary schools: Weds. 29th February 2012 – Medway Secondary Schools Basketball tournament at Medway Park, 2pm onwards and Thursday 1st March 2012 4-6pm – Medway Primary Schools Basketball Festival at Medway Park. All entries for these competitions and enquiries about any of the basketball coaching sessions should go to:

Claire Moore at the Howard School, Derwent Way, Rainham Gillingham Kent ME8 OBX, email: moorec@thehowardschool.co.uk or Tel: 07725724393 or 01634 388765 ex.228
www.howardssp.org.uk