Andrey Arshavin and Abou Diaby support Premier League 4 Sport
Andrey Arshavin and Abou Diaby play badminton, judo, table tennis, volleyball, basketball and hockey in one afternoon through Premier League 4 Sport initiative.
As Arsenal celebrates 25 years of commitment to its community, the Club has added another project to its sport offering, ‘Premier League 4 Sport’ and become the latest club to offer young people the chance to get involved in Olympic sports.
Arsenal’s Abou Diaby and Andrey Arshavin joined young people playing judo, table tennis, volleyball, badminton basketball and hockey at St Mary Magdalene Academy, Islington to celebrate the groundbreaking partnership between the Premier League, Sport England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Youth Sport Trust.
Premier League 4 Sport aims to promote and encourage young people's participation in four sports; table tennis, volleyball, badminton and judo. In addition to this nationwide programme of sports, Arsenal in the Community has added hockey and basketball to the eclectic line-up.
Arsenal in the Community’s successful hockey programme has been running for nearly 20 years and has encouraged over 14,000 young people in Islington and North London to take up the sport. Over the last quarter-century, Arsenal in the Community has invested over 5.5 million hours and involved 1 million individuals, across a wide variety of sporting, charitable, educational and social inclusion projects in London and overseas.
Speaking ahead at the launch, Head of Arsenal in the Community Alan Sefton said: “Arsenal is delighted to offer young people in the community more opportunities to get involved in sport. Working with partners and adding a range of sports to our existing projects is very exciting. We believe there will be something for everyone with the range of sports on offer and it will help young people stay active and develop interest in sports other than football.”
The Premier League initiative aims to get 25,000 young people, aged between 11 and 16, to join local sport clubs in the Olympic sports during the three year scheme. Arsenal’s involvement is predominantly based in schools across Islington, Camden and Hackney and generally runs between 4.30-6.00pm on weekdays. Mainly aimed at school years 6, 7 and 8, the sports clubs are open to all ages and abilities, and anyone can attend the majority of sessions, regardless if it takes place in their own school. After attending these school sessions, participants will have the opportunity to join an established community club in that sport.
The initiative will help the Government’s ambition to offer young people five hours of sport a week, as part of its 2012 legacy plans. It will also address the drop-off in sports participation when young people leave secondary school.
Sport England Chief Executive Jennie Price said: "When young people leave school, they often leave sport too, and reversing this trend is one of Sport England’s most important jobs. We believe that linking the chance for them to try new sports with some of the best football clubs in the world will really capture their imagination, and will help to boost participation in some of our key Olympic sports."
Youth Sport Trust Chair Sue Campbell added: “We are delighted to be involved with the Premier League 4 Sport project. It provides a wonderful opportunity for us to work with different key partners to ensure local access to community sports clubs for more young people through a sustainable initiative. Working alongside national governing bodies of sport and the Premier League will bring real added value and appeal to the satellite clubs on school sites which will be developed as part of Premier League 4 Sport.”
Arsenal in the Community are coordinating the following sessions in various locations around Camden, Islington and Hackney:
Table Tennis
Wednesdays - Highbury Grove - 4.30-6.00pm
Wednesdays - William Ellis - 4.30-5.30pm
Thursdays - Haverstock - 4.30-5.30pm
Fridays - St Aloysius - 4.30-6.00pm
Badminton
Mondays - St Aloysius - 4.30-6.00pm
Mondays - Camden School for Girls - 4.30-6.00pm
Tuesdays - St Mary Magdalene Academy - 4.30-6.00pm
Tuesdays - Highbury Grove – 4.30-6.00pm
Thursdays - Haverstock - 3.30-4.30pm
Sundays – Clissold Leisure Centre - 11.00-1.00pm
Volleyball
Mondays - IAMS - 3.30-5.00pm
Wednesdays - Camden School for Girls - 4.30-6.00pm
Wednesdays - BSix College - 4.30-6.00pm
Thursdays - Holloway - 3.30-5.00pm
Judo
Mondays - City Academy, Hackney - 5.00-6.00pm
Tuesdays - Central Foundation - 3.45-5.15pm
Wednesdays - Cardinal Pole - 3.30-5.00pm
Thursdays - Hampstead - 3.45-5.15pm
Hockey
Mondays - St Mary Magdalene Academy - 3.45-5.15pm
Wednesdays - Canonbury - 4.00-5.00pm
Thursdays - Rosemary Gardens - 4.00-5.00pm
Basketball
Tuesdays - Greig City Academy - 3.00-5.00pm
Thursdays - Highbury Grove - 4.30-6.00pm
Fridays - Elthorne Park - 5.00-7.00pm
Through the Premier League 4 Sport project, Arsenal in the Community are working in partnership with community clubs (HUB Clubs) in these sports, namely Finsbury Table Tennis Club, Black Arrows Badminton Club, London Lynx Volleyball Club, London Beach Volleyball Club, Old Loughtonians Hockey Club and Hawks Basketball Academy. For links to the HUB Clubs and to find out sessions they run, please see the attached links.
Finsbury Table Tennis Club - http://sport4me.co.uk/sport_club_details.php?cid=1208125395988
Black Arrows Badminton Club - http://blackarrowsbc.com
London Lynx Volleyball Club - http://londonbeachvolleyball.org/
Old Loughtonains Hockey Club - http://www.oldloughtonians.co.uk/
Hawks Basketball Academy - http://www.hawksacademy.com
