These courses are run for local communities, are aimed at people aged 14+ and often result in direct employment, training and further education opportunities for candidates and links to employers. In the case of the Milton Keynes Council for Voluntary Organisations (MKCVO) in Milton Keynes, Bucks Sport met their request last year for a Young Leaders Course by providing a tutor from Impact Coaching Agency at their chosen venue. And MKCVO recruited the participants. Among them was a young male, aged sixteen, who saw the course as an alternative to getting into trouble at school and elsewhere. Today he attends the football academy at his school, is a representative on the local Youth Advice Forum and is eagerly waiting to build on his training. As he explains:  “I used to be a little toe rag but now I’m enjoying doing things”. To continue this work and host their own training, the MKCVO and many other organisations have sent representatives to this year’s Sports Leaders UK Tutor Training Day Organised by Bucks Sport.

Courses

Bucks Sport also runs an extensive range of courses for clubs and volunteers throughout the year. One of them, the ‘Bar Management Workshop’, was the idea of Nigel Moore from the SRM Network and the first of its kind in the country!  Sports club bars are the life-blood to any club but their community focus is often threatened when they struggle to make ends meet. With the advice of Steward Broome, Licensing Manager from Chiltern District Council, John Slade from Amersham Rugby Football Club and Sadeep Kaushik  from De Vere venues, the workshop proved to be a great success. One participant Clive Weston, from the Chairman Chearsley Cricket Club, commented:

‘I found the session very useful and extremely timely. The three presenters were very experienced and professional and were able to share insights and tips that would otherwise take months to acquire. The workshop was well structured and I particularly liked the open forum after the break to share ideas and ask questions. Nigel did an excellent job at keeping things on track and also made many useful suggestions to help us improve on our bar operations. Thank you very much indeed.”

For more information on when this workshop will take place again please contact Nigel.moore@srmnetwork.co.uk or see details about this workshop and many other courses in the bi-annual Bucks Sport Education & Training Programme. Also look out for the voluntary sports placements available for young people on here. Are You Ready...?

Case Studies