Free Football Sessions a Hit

A series of football-based activities are proving to be a hit with Thamesmead's youngsters with 75 turning out each week at Woolwich Polytechnic.

The sessions, which were free to attend and designed to attract young people take part in physical activity, were football based, with the coaches running tournaments, matches, fun warm drills and small sided games.

Delivered by Trust Thamesmead's Sporting Club Thamesmead in partnership with Charlton Athletic Community Trust, the sessions have been funded by FreeSport, part of the Mayor of London's Sports Legacy Programme.

FreeSport provides free sporting opportunities to Londoners, of all ages and abilities, to encourage greater participation in sport and physical activity in the build-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, and helps organisations deliver a grass-roots sporting legacy across London.

Sporting Club Thamesmead's Sports Development Worker, Dan Wells, said: “One of the outcomes for the sessions was to ensure that 10% of the young people who attended were classed as ‘inactive' (people who have participated in less than 30 minutes of sport or active recreation in the last 28 days). We exceeded this target with 20% of the people attending being classed as ‘inactive'.

“We will now be looking at ways of keeping the young people engaged with physical activity by inviting partners to deliver similar schemes at Sporting Club Thamesmead when it opens in June.”