Welcome to Sport Talk the new e-bulletin keeping you up to date on all things sport at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Each issue will provide you with the latest information on events, our London 2012 Legacy Plans, sponsorship, funding and the latest London 2012 milestones.
This bulletin aims to give you an idea of the different work that goes on in the Park and the projects and programmes that you could potentially tap into. The Sports Development Team is keen to engage with you and continue to find new ways of working with all our regional partners. If you have any comments or suggestions of how we can work with you more please
contact the team.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is playing an active role in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will own, fund and manage four Olympic venues after Games time – The White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne, and the VeloPark and Hockey and Tennis Centre in Olympic Park.
The Park Authority will ensure all four venues are accessible enabling regular usage from first time users to elite athletes and future hopefuls. There will be extensive community use, outreach and sports development programmes for each of the venues in legacy mode.
Our legacy sports development plans reflect the national strategic direction for cycling, paddlesports, tennis and hockey and complement the relevant National Governing Bodies strategies. Our legacy plans prioritise the need to maximise participation in sport in and around London, Essex and Hertfordshire.
The White Water Canoe Centre is currently being built by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) just north of the M25 between Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross and will be the only new facility to be open for public use before Games time. Good progress has been made on site since the ODA began construction work in July 2009, with the Olympic and intermediate courses and the facility building taking shape.
The Authority’s Sports Development Team works closely with funders and partners at national and local levels to ensure legacy sport plans for the Centre are inclusive and wide ranging. When open to the public in Spring 2011 the Centre will offer rafting and canoeing alongside kayaking to enable sports clubs, schools and elite athletes to use the Centre.
The VeloPark being built by the ODA in Olympic Park includes the Velodrome, a permanent 6,000 seat venue which will host the Olympic and Paralympic cycling events during London 2012 in addition to a BMX circuit. The BMX circuit will have 6,000 temporary seats for the Games.
For legacy a one mile road circuit and extensive mountain bike course – approximately 6km in length - and facilities for cyclocross will be added to create a VeloPark that combines cycling facilities for all disciplines.
The ODA has made good progress on the construction of the Velodrome since work started on schedule in March 2009 and it is set to be the first venue completed on Olympic Park in early 2011. Work is now well underway to install the distinctive double-curved cable-net roof which once complete will be one of the largest cable-net roofs in the UK.
The Hockey and Tennis Centre is situated at Eton Manor in the north of Olympic Park. During Games time the sites will have temporary training pools for Aquatic events; these include three 50m pools and pools for synchronised swimming and water polo. The site will then become the venue for the very popular Paralympic Tennis Tournament.
After the Games the site will evolve into a legacy facility for hockey and tennis and will be owned, funded and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The Tennis Centre will include four indoor and six outdoor courts while the hockey centre will boast two competition pitches and will also feature a five-a-side football facility.
Lee Valley Regional Park supports local schools wishing to bring their programmes to life by offering guided tours of our legacy venues and high performance centres as well as delivering inspirational speeches that highlight how schools can get involved. For more information email the
Sports Development Team
Athletes impress at the London Indoor Games
The award-winning Lee Valley Athletics Centre hosted the London Indoor Games at the end of January. Over 900 athletes entered travelling from as far as Holland, Poland, the Channel Islands and Ireland to compete in the high profile athletics event. The Athletics Centre played host to some personal and season bests across the fields over the weekend.
Highlights from the meeting included Birchfield Harriers Mark Lewis-Francis running his fastest 60m in five years in a time of 6.59 seconds and Bernice Wilson making an improvement on her 60m personal best from 7.37 seconds to 7.31 seconds in the senior Women’s 60m.
Another track achievement was Lawrence Clarke from Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow running 7.79 seconds in the 60m hurdles.
The action wasn’t limited to the track; four athletes jumped 2.20m in the men’s high jump with Enfield & Haringey’s Adam Scarr winning the competition on count back. There was also a very high standard in the women’s pole vault with Cardiff’s Jessica Abraham leading the field of 28 with a 4.00m jump.
The Athletics Centre runs a number of sports programmes from Easter courses – Star Track and Master Class – to weekly circuit training and also the Lee Valley Athletics Academy. For more information contact the Centre
t: 020 8344 7230
Blue Peter presenters take to the ice
Blue Peter’s Andy Akinwolere and Joel Defries took to the ice at the Lee Valley Ice Centre to try their hand at an innovative new sport, Broomball.
Broomball is a new phenomenon taking over the ice and involves two teams of six players each aiming to score using a stick and ball. It is a fast paced game similar to ice hockey, however special shoes are worn instead of skates, a ball is used instead of a puck and the stick used is called a ‘broom’. The game originated in Canada and is rapidly growing in popularity, so much so that the IFBA (International Federation of Broomball Associations) is considering taking the sport to the Winter Olympics.
Andy and Joel were given quick training sessions to learn some Broomball moves and the rules of the game before being put to the test in a match. After a quick team talk they took to the ice where for the first part of the game despite some dirty tackles and lots of shots on goal neither team scored. Joel’s team finally broke through and took the lead, and despite Andy’s team equalising Joel’s team went on to regain the lead making the final score 5-3 to Joel’s team. Both of the Blue Peter presenters loved the Broomball experience and agreed that it was ‘ridiculous, but so much fun’
You can catch a video of their challenge and see the Lee Valley Ice Centre in action on the Blue Peter
website.
The Ice Centre has a number of courses for all abilities from the ‘learn to skate’ course for beginners to the Lee Valley Skating Club for advanced level 4 skaters and the Lee Valley Lions for ice hockey players. For more information contact the Centre
t: 020 8533 3154
The Lee Valley International Horseball Cup is taking place at the Lee Valley Riding Centre for the second year as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend. The competition takes place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July and the Park Authority welcomes spectators.
Horseball was invented by two French brothers in the 1970’s taking the idea from a combination of rugby and basketball. With over 4,000 players in France the sport came to the UK twenty years later. Horseball is now being considered as an Olympic sport and is played in 15 different countries. The Park Authority is proud to have a Horseball team training regularly at the Riding Centre and is keen for the sport to grow in popularity for both players and spectators.
The Riding Centre offers programmes for all ages and abilities. The Centre offers lessons for adults and children with disabilities along with school and youth group riding sessions. To book or find out more information contact the Centre
t: 020 8556 2629
WaterWorks Golf Centre apply for RangeMark award
The Park Authority is supporting the WaterWorks Golf Centre in its application for a RangeMark award. This English Golf Union award will recognise that the Centre is operating at the national golf range standards.
Golf ranges are fundamental for the development of golf and provide a starting point for the game and a learning opportunity. RangeMark has been created by the English Golf Union to recognise golf ranges that are playing an important role in introducing adults and juniors to the game of golf.
The WaterWorks Golf Centre offers a number of programmes from junior and adult lessons to the Golf Foundations Golf Roots Programme as well as hosting various events such as the HSBC Wee Wonders Competition and annual Countryside Live event. To be involved in any of the golf programmes or for more information please contact the Centre
t: 020 8988 7566
Canoe England Volunteer & Recognition Awards
The Park Authority strategically funds sports awards across London, Essex and Hertfordshire. Over the last few months the Park Authority has supported a number of awards across the region and here we celebrate some recent triumphs.
The Essex Sports Awards took place in November 2009 in Chelmsford. Representatives from Lee Valley Regional Park attended the ceremony with Chief Executive, Shaun Dawson presenting two of the awards, Services to Sport award and Young Sports Personality.
In January the Authority was the core sponsor for the Canoe England Volunteer and Recognition Awards. These awards provide the opportunity to reward and recognise volunteers nationwide for their contribution and commitment to paddlesports. Chief Executive Shaun Dawson attended the ceremony and presented a number of awards together with Etienne Stott a Great Britain Slalom C2 Canoeist.
The Comet Sports Awards (organised by Archant Newspaper Group) recognise sporting achievements and services to sports across North Hertfordshire. The Park Authority sponsored the Team of the Year award and officers attended the event held in January.
The Park Authority supported the Broxbourne sports awards in January for the second year running. Chief Executive Shaun Dawson presented four awards; Coach of the Year, Sporting Achievement of the Year, Services to Sport and Achievements in Disability Kayaking. The event was well supported with 200 guests including two Great Britain C2 Kayakers, Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie. Shaun Dawson gave a presentation on the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre providing an insight into the world class facility and on plans for elite and community use in legacy.
For more information about these and other up coming sports awards please email the Senior Sports Development Officer
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority offers sports development grants to projects demonstrating their contribution to the development of the Authority as a regional centre for sports development. This can range from supporting sports agencies within the region to awards for sports clubs and individual athletes. The grants programme develops sporting excellence across the region and the application process is simple so if you think you could benefit from funding you can apply by completing an application form.
Some examples of the programmes and groups that have benefitted from funding include:
· Stars of the Future programme for talented young golfers
· The Junior Synchronised Skating Team at Lee Valley London Skating Club
· Lee Valley Youth Club Cycle
· University of London Athletics Club
· Cambridge Harriers Junior Athletics Squad
· British Canoe Union
· London Cycle Cross Association
For more information or advice with your application please contact our Sports Development officer
t: 01992 709902
Thank you for reading our e-bulletin, the next issue of Sport Talk will be sent out during the summer 2010 with more updates and information from the Sports Development Team at Lee Valley Regional Park.