UK Athletics has announced that Norwich Union is to extend its commitment to athletics until the end of 2012 in what is the largest UK sports sponsorship deal outside football, worth nearly £50 million to the sport over the next six years.
The new agreement that commences on 1st January, 2007 places emphasis on the preparation of future champions as the sport targets the Olympic Games in London in 2012, whilst at the same time widening the appeal and reach of athletics to encourage increased participation amongst all children.
Investment in grassroots athletics will almost treble, and training for over 100,000 teachers in over 5,000 secondary and 20,000 primary schools will also be provided through Elevating Athletics. This will revolutionise the way athletics is delivered in schools, says UK Athletics.
In addition to the current deal of seven live televised events, the support of the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland athletics team at all levels, and the expansion of the current grassroots schemes, additional funding will allow the sport to widen its reach.
New highlights include:
Central Contracts
As a key funding partner, Norwich Union will be party to the central contracts being introduced by UK Athletics and UK Sport to ensure members of the Norwich Union GB & NI team will be strictly accountable for their performances. The additional funding from Norwich Union will offer additional performance-related ‘top-up’ packages for leading athletes, building upon the existing UK Sport World Class Pathway programme. It will also allow for special research projects to be undertaken.
Additional coach development initiatives will be introduced to secure the long-term future of the next generation of elite coaches, and support for warm weather training camps will continue to be provided as will support for Norwich Union Preparation Camps – bolstering existing UK Sport investment.
Junior Mentoring
Following the ongoing success of the Norwich Union funded ‘On Camp with Kelly’, which sees Dame Kelly Holmes continue to mentor a group of up and coming middle distance runners, the renewed cash injection will allow UK Athletics to develop similar mentoring schemes with Norwich Union in other athletics disciplines and with other mentors. Mentors will be confirmed at a later date.
Athletics festivals
Following the success of the Norwich Union Sportsparks in 2004, free event festivals will run in the host cities of five of the seven Norwich Union televised events. Focused on engaging the local communities, the aim is to generate excitement in the lead up to the events and provide a platform to showcase Norwich Union’s commitment to grassroots athletics. Schools and families will be targeted to ensure they are well attended and lead to an increase in sporting participation and interest in athletics.
Schools Curriculum and Teacher Training
To capitalise on the renewed enthusiasm for athletics, and focus on the preparations for 2012, a new resource - Elevating Athletics - will be made available to schools across the country, allied with an extensive teacher training programme. In this way, says UK Athletics press release, UK Athletics and Norwich Union will be further contributing to the government’s vision of delivering more high quality sporting activity for schoolchildren.
The current Norwich Union funded grassroots schemes – shine:awards, star:track and sports:hall – which help children develop their athletic abilities, introduce new disciplines and create a competitive environment – will all be developed and extended to reach even more youngsters across Britain.
Get Britain’s Kids Active
With Britain facing rising levels of obesity, a new joint initiative between Norwich Union and UK Athletics will be launched to encourage teachers and parents to work together to help youngsters get more active.
UK Athletics has announced that Norwich Union is to extend its commitment to athletics until the end of 2012 in what is the largest UK sports sponsorship deal outside football, worth nearly £50 million to the sport over the next six years.
The new agreement that commences on 1st January, 2007 places emphasis on the preparation of future champions as the sport targets the Olympic Games in London in 2012, whilst at the same time widening the appeal and reach of athletics to encourage increased participation amongst all children.
Investment in grassroots athletics will almost treble, and training for over 100,000 teachers in over 5,000 secondary and 20,000 primary schools will also be provided through Elevating Athletics. This will revolutionise the way athletics is delivered in schools, says UK Athletics.
In addition to the current deal of seven live televised events, the support of the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland athletics team at all levels, and the expansion of the current grassroots schemes, additional funding will allow the sport to widen its reach.
New highlights include:
Central Contracts
As a key funding partner, Norwich Union will be party to the central contracts being introduced by UK Athletics and UK Sport to ensure members of the Norwich Union GB & NI team will be strictly accountable for their performances. The additional funding from Norwich Union will offer additional performance-related ‘top-up’ packages for leading athletes, building upon the existing UK Sport World Class Pathway programme. It will also allow for special research projects to be undertaken.
Additional coach development initiatives will be introduced to secure the long-term future of the next generation of elite coaches, and support for warm weather training camps will continue to be provided as will support for Norwich Union Preparation Camps – bolstering existing UK Sport investment.
Junior Mentoring
Following the ongoing success of the Norwich Union funded ‘On Camp with Kelly’, which sees Dame Kelly Holmes continue to mentor a group of up and coming middle distance runners, the renewed cash injection will allow UK Athletics to develop similar mentoring schemes with Norwich Union in other athletics disciplines and with other mentors. Mentors will be confirmed at a later date.
Athletics festivals
Following the success of the Norwich Union Sportsparks in 2004, free event festivals will run in the host cities of five of the seven Norwich Union televised events. Focused on engaging the local communities, the aim is to generate excitement in the lead up to the events and provide a platform to showcase Norwich Union’s commitment to grassroots athletics. Schools and families will be targeted to ensure they are well attended and lead to an increase in sporting participation and interest in athletics.
Schools Curriculum and Teacher Training
To capitalise on the renewed enthusiasm for athletics, and focus on the preparations for 2012, a new resource - Elevating Athletics - will be made available to schools across the country, allied with an extensive teacher training programme. In this way, says UK Athletics press release, UK Athletics and Norwich Union will be further contributing to the government’s vision of delivering more high quality sporting activity for schoolchildren.
The current Norwich Union funded grassroots schemes – shine:awards, star:track and sports:hall – which help children develop their athletic abilities, introduce new disciplines and create a competitive environment – will all be developed and extended to reach even more youngsters across Britain.
Get Britain’s Kids Active
With Britain facing rising levels of obesity, a new joint initiative between Norwich Union and UK Athletics will be launched to encourage teachers and parents to work together to help youngsters get more active.