Fans of British sport have certainly been blessed in recent weeks with some fantastic events taking place on home soil, as well as the nation’s best competing overseas.

Tennis at Wimbledon, the football World Cup, international cricket and golf’s British Open - just some of the sporting spectacles that have kept us glued to our screens or the radio since early summer.

No doubt many of those watching, and particularly the younger generation, will have been inspired to pick up a tennis racquet or a golf club in an attempt to emulate their heroes.

I’m sure we can all think back to our childhood when we watched on television, heard on the radio or, for those lucky few, experienced first-hand an historic moment in sport which left us truly inspired. One that sticks in my mind is the 1976 Montreal Olympics. I was watching it on a very dodgy TV set whilst on holiday in a caravan in the Lake District but can still vividly remember Brendan Foster winning the bronze medal in the 10,000m having set a new Olympic record in the heats.

After all, when asked what drove them to take up their particular sport, today’s sports stars often reveal it was because of a magical moment or incredible performance they saw from an elite athlete.

The opportunity for a wannabe Wayne Rooney or aspiring Andy Murray to play sport at school are about to be put on hold for a few weeks, with most schools breaking up for holidays soon. The positive news is that a large number of schools don’t relinquish their influence just because term-time is over and for our most talented school-age athletes and those looking to further develop their skills, this July and August will be a time for intensive training.

For example, the Crown Hills School Sport Partnership and Lancaster School Sport Partnership, both in Leicester, have an inclusive Gifted and Talented Academy for ten and 11-year-olds, whilst a series of multi-sport and multi-skill camps will be held for youngsters aged seven-to-15 years.

Paignton Community Sports College, covering South Devon, have football, cricket and rugby academies, sailing and kayaking courses and squash and horse riding clubs, amongst many other things, going on this summer.

And the South West Lincolnshire School Sport Partnership are not only working with their district council to support a summer programme of health and sport, but also their sports coaches are running camps in table tennis and badminton.

School sport partnerships, of which there are 450 across the country, include every primary, secondary and special school, and - just as importantly - the community providers, such as clubs, community coaches and volunteers.



Through this powerful network the Youth Sport Trust has been able to drive opportunities for young people to participate, perform and lead in sport. All of that has been possible because of the investment in an infrastructure of people that stands ready to deliver the most exceptional legacy programme of all time – that of the Olympic and Paralympic Games following its staging in 2012.

This army of people is capable not only of creating new opportunities for young people, but also of sustaining their commitment to sport. The work that we do in the next two years could make a transformational difference to the lives of millions of young people.

Anyone wanting to see how we are supporting the best young talent in the UK and creating an opportunity for them to go head-to-head in ten Olympic and Paralympic sports should travel to the North East of England for the 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games, which take place in Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland from September 2 to 5.

The sports programme in 2010 will include road cycling, combined with the existing programme of athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball. There is an integrated programme of disability events, physical and learning disabilities, in athletics, swimming and table tennis, which will increase the number of athletes competing in 2010 to around 1,600.

It really is an inspirational sporting event that not only demonstrates the drive and determination of the amazing young people themselves, but also showcases the culmination of the huge efforts of their back up team: their parents or guardians, National Governing Bodies of Sport, coaches, teachers and of course School Sport Partnerships.

For more information on the Sainsbury’s UK School Games, click here. 

Steve Grainger is the chief executive of the Youth Sports Trust