Quids in!

YORK SPORT HAS been successful in a bid to receive a £141,905 injection from Sport England in a coup that York Sport President Sam Asfahani has described as “the biggest thing that’s ever happened in York Sport.”

The money comes as part of a Lottery- funded project to increase participation in sport for people between the ages of 18 and 25 and will provide the bulk of a £178,000 project that will revolutionise college sport in particular, with £125,000 going towards the appointment of a full time College Sport and Participation Manager and part-time college rugby coaches.

The rest of the money is due to be spread between equipment costs, marketing costs, facilities and training students to become qualified referees and coaches.

Asfahani and co. have decided to focus their attention on men’s rugby, both men’s and women’s football, squash and badminton, with rugby due to become an official college sport in the academic year starting October 2012, based on the 3G pitches due to be built as part of the new sports village on Heslington East.

Men’s football will expand to include official 3rd and 4th team leagues, whilst women’s football will see an increase in fixtures.

YORK’S COLLEGE SPORT scene is due to see monumental improvements thanks to the successful York Sport bid to bring in over £141,000 worth of funding from Sport England.

The introduction of the College Sport and Participation Manager is set to benefit not only the focus sports of rugby, football, squash and badminton, but all college sport, and will also be of great help to the York Sport college sport officers.

This new member of the team will work closely with the officers, providing essential admin and development support.

York Sport President Sam Asfahani hopes that the effects of this cash injection ‘will solve every problem with college sport in one go’, as opposed to the gradual changes it has been used to thus far.

Roughly £1,800 is due to be spent on basic equipment such as balls and shuttlecocks with £3,200 going on marketing to advertise college sport, with the aim of increasing participation. Around £10,000 will go towards coaching students to become qualifield referees and coaches, something that has been called out for for many a year by participants, whilst £38,000 will go towards facilities and £125,000, the main bulk of the money, on the full-time staff member and part time coaches.

The changes bear exciting news for college rugby enthusiasts, with the sport due to be recognised with an official college league, see a move from its current base on the York RI pitches to its new home on the 3G pitches included in the sports village project and benefit from the introduction of a coach who will provide sessions open to all college players and also be present at matches.
This introduction will allow an increased participation in college rugby, since complete beginners will now be able to take part without the health and safety concerns that come with playing without any prior coaching.

‘It’s awesome news for the sport’, said Alcuin rugby captain Muzzy Foley, ‘it means that we won’t have to trek over to the other side of town to play our games anymore and the coaching will benefit the whole of college rugby. The standard will improve massively.’

Both men’s and women’s football will also find joy in this college sport shake up. The next academic year will see the introduction of an official 3rds league for the men, with a 4ths league coming the year later. Perhaps of greatest importance to those involved in college football however, will be the training of referees.

Referees are currently provided by the teams themselves, leaving the standard very varied and often very low. The emergance of qualified referees will add a much needed touch on control and prefessionalism to York’s most popular college sport. Derwent captain Joe Boughtflower is excited by the proposed expansion to his sport, saying; ‘ I think it’s great how college football has expanded over the past two to three years. The growing interest has been incredible. To be able to get 3rds officially funded and supported is great.’ Female footballers will be given far more opportunies to express their footballing talents. Women’s college football currently consists of a single one day tournament, but Asfahani plans to introduce more regular 5 a-side football, which will work in conjunction with the University team, allowing for a progression which should be of benefit to the entire women’s football club.

In fact, several University teams should benefit from the changes, since the aim of the project is also to move people on from college to university sport through participation.

The squash and badminton clubs are two clubs very likely to be seeing improvements, since they have been chosen as two of the ‘focus sports’, in which the York Sport team desire to ‘improve efficiency.’