News | TONY BLAIR MEETS SUNEE STREET LEAGUE
The University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Wathey, accompanied Tony Blair as they met staff, coaches and young people who will all benefit from Sport Central’s state-of-the-art facilities for swimming, netball, basketball, volleyball, badminton, fencing and other indoor sports.
Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, Tony Blair, said: “There is no doubt that Sport Central will have a hugely positive impact on thousands of young people in the North East and beyond. I have met some incredibly impressive and committed staff, volunteers and coaches today. And when an ambitious University like Northumbria puts these people in state-of-the-art facilities like this, you can create a sporting legacy of success and achievement that, not only the region, but the country can be proud of.”
Tony Blair also met with members of staff and clients that are involved with the SUNEE Street League partnership and he even demonstrated his own football skills.
SUNEE is a collaboration of the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside. They have pooled their resources to make a commitment to regional development through sport with the establishment of the Sport Universities North East England (SUNEE) concept.
In August 2009, SUNEE went into partnership with Street League. The vision of Street League is to transform the lives of the most disadvantaged people in the UK using the power of sport.
The mission of Street League is to engage disadvantaged individuals who are at risk of social exclusion in a structured ‘sport for development’ programme that builds on opportunities for clients to improve physical fitness, develop a better quality of life, acquire life skills and relevant qualifications, and make positive choices as they make transition towards employment, independent living and other positive outcomes
Callum Simpson, Coach for SUNEE Street League explained to Tony Blair that through sport the aim is to transform people’s lives. Those that access the project can be involved in football and multi-sport and can also go on to gain qualifications such as Level 1 and Level 2 in football coaching. The project also offers a Fast Track programme which runs for 10 weeks and aims to prepare clients for education, employment or training.
Tony Blair also visited Sedgefield, Co. Durham to launch his Sports Foundation’s Corporate Membership Scheme. As part of the charity’s drive to get the North East ready for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Sports Foundation is looking to partner with businesses across the region to create a legacy that will make the North East a beacon of sporting success for many years to come.
Speaking after the launch event in Sedgefield, Co. Durham, Tony Blair, Patron of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, said: “I have always been passionate about sport and its capacity to change people's lives. It is often the best public health policy, the best way to bring people together. When North East businesses sign up to my Sports Foundation’s new scheme, their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer as sports coaches and officials, and in the process they will open up sport to even more young people in their local communities.
Talking about the progress of his Sports Foundation, which was only founded in late 2007, Tony Blair said: “This scheme is yet another example of the Foundation taking its activity to the next level. I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made in such a short space of time. And that progress won’t stop here. We need to build on this early success to improve access to sport for young people across the North East so that this region becomes a beacon of sporting success. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are less than two years away and we need to use that to inspire and motivate children to get into sport, so that it becomes the healthy habit of a lifetime.”
To see some of the images from the visit, please download the file attached.
Downloads:
- tony blair visit (pdf, 151.06KB)
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MULTI-SPORT EVENT
TONY BLAIR MEETS SUNEE STREET LEAGUE
