Schools throughout Flintshire joined together to take part in this year’s Festival of Youth Sport. Over 2200 children from 64 schools took part in 12 events at nine different venues.
The event, sponsored by Sport Wales and run by Sport Flintshire, is in its eighth year and is the largest of its kind in Wales. Part of the programme offers free sports coaching to children in new and traditional sports including basketball, cheerleading, street dance, unihoc, football, handball, dodgeball, cricket, athletics, wheelchair basketball, scootering and badminton in the months leading up to the event. It also gives children opportunities to take part in local community clubs, encouraging them to get ‘hooked on sport for life’.
Asda supported the event, which was held on Thursday 15 May, as part of their Asda Active Sports Days, powered by Sports Leaders UK who provided volunteer young leaders and coaches. They also supplied refreshments throughout the day at one of the venues, Deeside Leisure Centre.
Councillor Chris Bithell, Cabinet Member for Education said: “There was a fantastic turnout for the event, children had taken advantage of the free coaching and really enjoyed the day. This year, schools were allocated Commonwealth countries to advocate the Commonwealth games and its legacy within Flintshire from the Glasgow games taking place in July 2014. Hopefully this will inspire pupils to carry on enjoying sport.”
Sport Wales Manager, Graham Williams said: “Sport Wales are delighted to have again supported the annual Flintshire Festival of Youth Sport.
“Each year the festival proves to be increasingly successful, reaching growing numbers of youngsters, with new exciting sporting opportunities, which makes huge contributions to our ambition of getting every child hooked on sport for life.”
