Festival of Youth Sport (FOYS)

Festival of youth sport a big success

On Saturday (June 21) young people from across South Gloucestershire gathered for their very own “mini-Olympics” – the summer Festival of Youth Sport.

Yate Outdoor Sports Complex played host to the festival, organised by South Gloucestershire Council and sponsored by Airbus, which has established itself as a key event for schools and sports clubs in the area since its launch in 2002.

Results:

This year the festival also forms part of the UK School Games community development programme, which is a series of events leading up to the UK School Games taking place in Bristol and Bath in August. This event encourages youth sport in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

Cyclist Jenny Copnall, who defends her national title next month at the national championships, attended on behalf of Sporting Champions. Jenny was there as part of the Sport England-organised initiative to inspire and motivate young people to participate in sport.

Jenny said: “This sort of event is very important to help encourage youngsters to take part in sport and physical activities. It really enthuses the parents as much as those taking part and provides a link with local sports clubs and associations.

“I spent a lot of time chatting with the youngsters and you could see how much they enjoyed themselves and how rewarding the day was.”

Jenny added: “I was really impressed with the parental support at the event.”

Kate Grey, who will be competing at the Paralympics being hosted in Beijing in September, also attended to support the youngsters. Kate, aged 19 from Thornbury, will be representing Great Britain in two swimming events – the 200m medley and 100m breaststroke.

Kate said: “I really enjoyed the day, there were a lot of youngsters taking part in a wide variety of sports and activities and you can see how much fun they had.

“I remember when I was younger taking part in as many different sports as possible, and the festival gives youngsters the opportunity to do the same.

“They can just enjoy themselves on the day or they can decide to take it further and look into joining sports clubs and associations afterwards.”

Around 700 young people attended the festival from primary, junior and special schools across the district.

The festival aims to introduce young people of all abilities to sport and exercise. As well as having a fun day, coaches encouraged the pupils to participate in the events and taught them new skills, in the hope that they will join local sports clubs. In the run up to the festivals the young athletes received training and coaching in a variety of sports, provided by the council’s community sport and active lifestyles department and funded by Airbus.

Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, said: “The Festival of Youth Sport is a really important part of how the council encourages and promotes healthy and active lifestyles by encouraging youngsters to take part in sport and exercise. The festival went really well and we’re looking forward to next year. And we’re grateful that Airbus is sponsoring the event once again.”

Nick Livings, senior wing architect and site co-ordinator for Airbus UK, said: "Every year this festival seems to gain strength as it becomes more popular in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics. What better way to encourage young people’s talent and sporting potential than through a countywide festival like this."

Dates for 2009

Date:        Saturday 25th April, WISE Campus Filton College, Stoke Gifford

                Saturday 20th June, Yate Outdoor Sports Complex