Inspiring the next generation…

Sir Steve Redgrave (left) chats with Emdad Rahman.

Emdad Rahman interviews Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave.

Sir Steve Redgrave: “I hope that the London 2012 Olympics will inspire the next generation of youngsters to take the leap and represent Great Britain in sporting events all over the world.”

Sir Steve Redgrave, five times Olympic gold medallist, was in Central London for a School Sports Day with a difference. More than 100 children from across the capital gathered to demonstrate some of the sports they have been enjoying at school as part of Matalan Sporting Promise – including Street Cheer, Jump Rope, Ultimate Frisbee, Dodgeball and Parkour.

Children from St Mary’s and Marlborough primary schools, Langdon Park secondary school, Stepney Green College and Westminster Academy were joined by a number of leading UK stars of Parkour, Ultimate Frisbee and Jump Rope. These included French free running founder Sébastien Foucan; Si Hill and Liam Kelly, who are representing Great Britain at this summer’s Ultimate Frisbee World Championships in Japan; and Beci and Rachel Dale, who are part of “Get Tricky”, an elite group of international performers showcasing Jump Rope at the 2012 London Olympics.

I asked the greatest Olympian of all time about his involvement with Matalan Sporting Promise. He said: “I’m an Ambassador for Matalan Sporting Promise and part of my commitment and role is to promote sporting activities in both primary and secondary schools.

“We also help teachers add ideas and activities within their teaching timetables. This support is necessary as trainee teachers get very little support and coaching that enables them to organise and facilitate sporting activities and an ethos within their respective educational areas.”

Sir Steve has learnt to cope with retirement, especially when the Olympics come round: “It will be very tough, but it is the third Games since I retired properly and it’s getting easier with time.”

I asked him his opinion on how we get the nation more involved in sports and especially get young people off the couches and onto the green fields. “Through initiatives like this,” he said. “It is essential that future generations are educated on the absolute benefits of sports, health and fitness.

“We need more initiatives like this and the great support of the likes of Matalan. We need to encourage a collective working spirit between young people and schools.

“Matalan Sporting Promise is all about encouraging children to take part in a variety of activities – not just the traditional sports – so it was fantastic for them to demonstrate what they’ve learned at Trafalgar Square today. Sport is such an important part of children’s wellbeing, so it’s vital we continue to support the teachers who are running PE lessons across the country.

“Coupled with good coaches and positive attitudes towards sport, this can only benefit the nation.”

Sir Steve is not thinking too much about future plans at the moment: “I don’t really know. I have been gearing up to 2012 for so long that there hasn’t been time for much else. I’m involved with the BBC as part of their Olympics rowing coverage and I am an Ambassador for Team GB. I will make future plans after the Olympics are over.”

He has a sound vision for the Olympic legacy of London 2012. “The biggest and best legacy would be if sport was successfully thrust into the minds of all people. I hope that the London 2012 Olympics will inspire the next generation of youngsters to take the leap and represent Great Britain in sporting events all over the world.”

Matalan Sporting Promise supports sport and PE activity in schools, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, with 3,500 schools already benefitting from the programme.

There are two parts to the programme. Matalan TOP Sport is designed for primary education, providing training and resources for teachers with 3,600 teachers trained under this programme already. The second part of the programme – Matalan YoUR Activity – concentrates on secondary schools and young people who may not want to take up traditional mainstream sports. The aspiration is for the programme to be in more than 10,000 schools by the end of 2013. There are currently more than 260 schools involved in London.

Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “We are really pleased to be celebrating the huge success of Matalan Sporting Promise and the impact it has had on young people across the nation. We know that sport changes lives and through our partnership with Matalan we can reach thousands of young people and encourage them to get involved in sport, in a fun and energetic way.”

Matthew Needham, a PE teacher at Marlborough Primary School, Isleworth, was there to oversee the day’s activity. He said: “Matalan Sporting Promise is a fun and exciting way to engage young people in a whole range of sports and physical activity. It is very important that sport is made as appealing as possible to our pupils so that it encourages them to become far more fit and active.”

Janet Hogan-Dawkins, Matalan Store Manager in Dalston, said: “Matalan is committed to getting more young people taking part in more sport and I’m delighted to see the Matalan Sporting Promise programme working so well here in London. We really want to strengthen our relationships with the local schools and it’s not just for the children either, their parents will receive great offers in their local store!”

•More information on Matalan Sporting Promise is available in Matalan stores and online. Matalan and the Youth Sport Trust are now planning the 2013 programme and teachers and parents who would like to register their interest in having Matalan Sporting Promise at their school should visit www.sportingpromise.co.uk.