In the UK, SLF runs tennis, cricket and football coaching programmes in Birmingham and Bradford Leeds’ primary and secondary state schools, and at community tennis courts and grounds.
The main areas of focus are to:
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encourage young people and their communities to increase physical activity and improve health and wellbeing
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provide 1-2 hour coaching sessions every week throughout the year
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provide fun 1-2 week spring & summer camps
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ensure that as many school-age children as possible in inner-city areas of disadvantage have the opportunity to play sport
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offer those children after-school and in curricular clubs in safe surroundings
SLF’s Operations Director, Mohammed Naeem, welcomes Pakistan Cricket Team to Nansen Primary School, Birmingham
From 2010-13 SLF ran pilot programmes centred on 4 cricket grounds in Birmingham attended by students from 32 local primary and secondary schools.
Sponsored by the NHS, each school received a 10 week healthy lifestyle and cricket coaching programme delivered in 1 hour sessions by SLF coaches.
Between 2014-2019 this work expanded to include:
- football sessions commissioned by Birmingham City Council for newly immigrated communities
- cricket programmes to unite diverse communities under the PREVENT programme
- multisports to invite more young children from challenged communities to be active
In spite of the Covid pandemic putting an end to live coaching between March 2020- Summer ‘21, SLF provided on-line coaching via schools to students all over Birmingham called #TennisAtHome with funding from the LTA. Then from 2021-present day this work expanded again and now includes the provision of tennis, cricket, fitness and football programmes Sport for Life International and Building Character through Sport to a further 20 schools in IMD 1-2 areas in Birmingham and the Black Country, UK.
Throughout this period and whenever possible, we invited celebrity athletes to meet and inspire our young people including Sloane Stephens, U.S tennis player, Kabir Ali, England cricket coach and Moeen Ali, England cricketer, see NEWS.
Left: SLF Coaches at summer camp, Birmingham. Centre and right: Sloane Stephens meets SLF students, Birmingham
Left: SLF coach Reuben kicks for goal. Centre: Kabir Ali, former England cricketer presents summer camp prize. Right: England cricketer Moeen Ali demonstrates bowling technique