Sport Makers: Olympic Athletes inspire at West Yorkshire Launch Event
Published on: 13th October 2011
Five-time Olympic Gold medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave, today unveiled a new way for people to become sporting heroes in West Yorkshire
Sir Steve, our greatest Olympian, has joined forces with Sport England and West Yorkshire Sport to launch Sport Makers, a programme for everyone who’d like to make sport happen for their friends, neighbours or colleagues.
Sir Steve said: “You don’t need medals to become a sporting hero. By helping people you know to get involved in sport you’ll be doing something amazing for your friends and local community as well as having fun yourself.
“The thing I want to see more than anything is more people out enjoying what sport has to offer, but we need your help to make it happen.
“So why not take your first step to becoming a sporting hero and visit sportmakers.co.uk”
Sport Makers was launched in the region with a pilot conference at John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds on October 6.
Fifty potential new volunteers gathered for a series of workshops and inspirational talks. Olympic Cyclist Bryan Steel was on hand to show off his two medals while Olympic diver Rebecca Gallantree and Paralympic swimmer Clare Cashmore shared their experiences.
There was also a deployment depot of 20 organisations from governing bodies of sport, local authorities and clubs on hand to sign the Sport makers up for activities and help them find new opportunities.
Sport Makers aims to inspire 1,700 people in West Yorkshire to get involved, with each of them spending at least 10 hours organising or leading sporting activities. It is open to anyone aged 16 and over.
Sport Makers is part of the Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country.
Every Sport Maker will be invited to an informal and interactive workshop where they’ll gain the skills and opportunities to get involved in sport in West Yorkshire. Sport Makers will be introduced to organisations that need their help, and join forces with others who want to make sport happen locally. There’ll also be opportunities to meet top athletes and plenty of incentives to stay involved.
“Sport in this country is reliant on huge amount of people who make sport happen. This is a great opportunity for local people to be inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics to get involved in helping others to take part and enjoy sport.” Nigel Harrison, Director of West Yorkshire Sport.
Today’s launch was welcomed by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP. He said:
“The volunteers that help out at local sports clubs up and down the country are the foundations of community sport. The new Sport Makers initiative is a key part of the London 2012 sports legacy and will help community sports clubs across the country get more people playing sport.”
Over 50% of adults in England say they’d like to play more sport, but many people don’t feel they have the time, money or confidence to get involved in a formal setting.
Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said:
“This is a great chance to get involved in making sport happen in West Yorkshire, whether that’s planning the route, finding the pitch or encouraging others to take part.
“So if you think you could help, or have your own ideas for getting others involved in sport, please join in as a Sport Maker and become part of the legacy of the London 2012 Games.”
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To find out more - check out our Sport Makers page!
