DC09-0 February 12, 2009
BT partnership with Football Foundation kicks off pioneering sports project to give North East school children the digital edge
Newcastle and Middlesbrough join forces to deliver groundbreaking initiative Communicating for Success
PHOTOCALL/INTERVIEWS
Former Arsenal player and BBC TV pundit Martin Keown, ambassador for the BT and Football Foundation partnership, will be at St James Park, Newcastle at 1400 hours on Thursday February 12 to launch the Communicating for Success scheme for local communities in the North East. Joining him will be Newcastle United goalkeeper, Steve Harper, plus former players Peter Beardsley and Bob Moncur. Former Middlesbrough players, Frank Spraggon and Craig Hignett and Phil Dowson, captain of the Newcastle Falcons will also be there to kick-start the project. All will be available for interviews and photographs.
BT and the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity, today announced they have signed up Newcastle United, Newcastle Falcons and Middlesbrough Football Club to a groundbreaking initiative which will use the power of sport to help North East youngsters improve their computer and communication skills.
Communicating for Success (CfS) is a £1 million UK-wide programme to boost awareness of the importance of digital literacy, healthy lifestyles and employability and raise young people’s levels of self–esteem and confidence
Newcastle United and Middlesbrough FC will be joining forces to run a ‘Memories’ project, which will benefit up to 300 youngsters across the region. The aim of the project is to encourage communication and literacy through the use of ICT and poetry. It will include media training on interviewing techniques, audio editing, recording, pod casting and speaking for dramatic effect. The children will try out their new skills using memories from players, past and present, and members of the wider community.
At Newcastle United the strongest ‘memories’ will be included in a film to be played at the Fairs Cup celebration dinner in May at St James Park. In Middlesbrough, local poet, Andy Croft, will help the children develop a soccer narrative performance piece. Both clubs will post the finished work on their websites.
The Newcastle Falcons project is giving 60 children the opportunity to develop their own club-based business venture. Taking inspiration from existing businesses within the club, they will plan their business from scratch and even record their own radio or TV advert. The resulting businesses will be showcased at a match day celebration event at the end of the season.
The variation in projects and collaboration between the three clubs will give wide- reaching opportunities for shared learning and expertise.
Chris Sayers, BT regional director, said: “BT is determined to tackle the scourge of IT illiteracy and help people of all ages and abilities prosper through confidence with communications, computers and the internet.
“The attraction of sport for people of all ages cannot be underestimated and this project will go a long way in getting local people involved in a positive yet fun activity. I am looking forward to seeing the successes that this project will undoubtedly achieve.”
Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Communicating for Success is a very exciting new partnership between the Football Foundation and BT. The North East projects are going to benefit hundreds of children across the region giving them the opportunity to hone vital skills and experiment with the latest communication and information technology.”
David Williamson, director of operations, Newcastle United Football Club, said: “'Communicating for Success' in association with BT and the Football Foundation has presented a great opportunity for us to collaborate with both Middlesbrough FC and the Newcastle Falcons. The incentive of learning through sport will no doubt attract and motivate individuals to realise their potential and we have built these programmes in such a way that whole families can get involved and be proud of what is being achieved.”
Communicating for Success is part of a UK-wide programme into which BT is making an initial first-year investment of £500,000, which will be matched by the Football Foundation. In the first year, the CfS programme will work with a number of support centres across the country, including Sheffield, Ipswich, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, West Bromwich area of Birmingham and the London Borough of Newham.
The Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is the UK's largest sports charity. It is funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government - via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport - and invests £40m into grass roots sport every year. The Foundation’s mission is to improve facilities, create opportunities and build communities throughout England. Since its launch in July 2000 the Foundation has funded over 6,200 facility and community projects worth over £750m. It has also kitted out over 240,000 youngsters and disabled adults with free football strips and equipment. For more information, visit www.footballfoundation.org.uk.
Playing for Success (PfS) is a partnership between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), local authorities and a broad range of sports clubs. Partners include individual clubs, the Premier League and Football Leagues, Rugby League and Union, cricket, basketball, hockey, ice hockey, gymnastics and tennis. Through Playing for Success, the DCSF and partners are establishing study support centres within sports clubs’ grounds and sporting venues. Rex Hall Associates (RHA) is the DCSF-appointed contractor who is delivering PfS nationally; while the Department continues to maintain its strategic lead role. The Football Foundation’s Community programme has invested £4.8m into 24 study support centres.
