Member Article

Futsal in the community

Young footballers in Northumberland are honing their tricks and flicks as the Brazilian brand of the beautiful game comes to town.

Futsal, a fast paced game played by youngsters around South America to develop ball skills, is being enjoyed by young players from the Hodgsons Road estate in Blyth.

North East based Galliford Try Partnerships North are delivering coaching sessions for youngsters on the estate through a unique partnership with North East Sport - a community interest company established to provide sports coaching to children in under privileged locations.

The aim of the sessions is not only to get children active and help combat increasing child obesity levels, but also to foster a strong community spirit in and around new housing developments being delivered in the town.

Craig Taylor, Development Director at Galliford Try said: “We are delighted to have been able to supply and fund these Futsal sessions. Our focus may be on the bricks and mortar of regeneration but we know that developing community links and relationships is the glue that sticks all the parts together.

“By providing an opportunity for youngsters and their parents to congregate and have fun we hope to be a catalyst for the development of a community spirit which will help the new neighbourhoods thrive.”

North East Sport, founded in 2009, is a not for profit community interest organisation that provides access to sports and health based activities for young people.

Chris Johnson, Director at North East Sport said: “Futsal is frenetic, loud and fun and is based more on skill than strategy. We play music during the games and it is a form of football that can be enjoyed by all abilities and ages. It is great that Galliford Try has helped us to bring it to Blyth.

“As an organisation we aim to deliver top level coaching and sport based sessions which provide opportunities to young people that they may not ordinarily be able to access and enjoy.

“We are a ‘for life’ organisation with coaches with years of experience, working alongside young adults who enjoyed our activities as youngsters and have developed a wish to work in the sports and leisure sector. We are supporting them in achieving coaching badges and qualifications so they can pass on what they have learned to the next generation of young athletes.”

Galliford Try will build 54 new two, three and four bedroom houses on cleared land on the Hodgsons Road Estate in Blyth - the first of three sites being developed by Galliford Try Partnerships North, which will deliver 165 new homes for Northumberland County Council’s affordable homes programme. Each of the completed developments will be managed by the authority’s housing management company - Homes for Northumberland.

Kevin Lowry is Managing Director at Homes for Northumberland and Associate Director of strategic housing at Northumberland County Council. He said: “We are committed to putting tenants at the heart of everything we do and place great significance on tenant involvement and recognition.

“It is important for us to give tenants not only a home but a sense of community and we are thrilled to be part of a scheme which reinforces this ethos.

“This scheme is just one of many tenant led projects which we are proud to be a part of alongside other events such as Spirit of the Community Awards and Tea with the Team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .