North East Times’ Post

It's always fantastic to receive a Happy New Year message, but when a picture like this is tagged into it, it's even better! I know family pictures tend to be shared during the festive period, but as this is a business network, this is perfect! Greatly received from an old playing adversary, Stuart Dixon, now Director of Rugby at Yorkshire Rugby Academy! At globalbridge, we've been working with a number of Premier League Football and Premiership Rugby Academies, in order to support the ability for their student athletes to evidence their wide ranging skills and talent, on and off the field. Michael Calvin, in his book 'No Hunger in Paradise' outlines some harsh football stats: - "0.012% of all young footballers registered to play in England became Premier League pros" - that's 180 out of 1.5million schoolboys in England. - "almost 98% of boys given a scholarship at 16 are no longer in the top 5 tiers of the domestic game at 18" - "8 out of 400 players given a professional contract at 18 remained in the Premier League by the time of their 22nd birthday" The Professional Probability in other sports is outlined by the Planet Sport Network. Taking the number of people per 25,000 players in the sport, that will become a professional. The formula, Current UK Professionals / Total UK Players, suggests the percentage chance of becoming a pro is as follows: Football: 0.012% Rugby: 0.036% Hockey: 0.28% Golf: 0.025% Cricket: 0.16% Tennis: 0.0032% For the vast majority that don't make it as a professional athlete, what's the exit plan or network of opportunity providers that are looking for additional skills and characteristics such as determination, resilience, ambition, leadership, teamwork, communication? Neil Saunders, Director of Football at the Premier League - "ensuring the academy experience is a life-enriching one for every young player is a key part of taking a broader view of success". Our aim, like the schools and colleges we are working with, is to help these young people to evidence their wide ranging set of transferable skills to support their access to positive destinations. Whether they are exiting school or a professional sports academy, being able to evidence a breadth of skills and talents either alongside, or in place of, a list of grades or 'on field' performances, creates the best chance of a successful future. We're excited to be providing a digital solution which is supporting young people across all forms of education development and works to ensure success for all. "I want any footballer who gets released from a football club to have somewhere to turn to" Trent Alexander Arnold If you're a school, college, professional sport academy or employer interested in emerging talent pathways and supporting young people, please send me a DM. If you're London based and fancy joining us for our social mobility event with City of London Corporation on 30th January, please check out the link in the comments 👇

Let me tell you a story. It’s personal. It’s about overcoming, and yes, it’s about cricket. 🏏 Born visually impaired, I was the kid who got told, “Leave your glasses by the rugby post.” Seriously. That was PE class advice in mainstream education, circa 1990-something. You can imagine how well that went. Despite being a huge sports fan growing up, I was more of a benchwarmer. Until cricket came into my life aged 19 and changed the game. Literally. At university, I discovered blind cricket. It's cricket, but not as you know it. The ball is larger and it rattles. It’s designed to be heard, not seen. This game? It’s about more than just winning. It's about belonging, pushing limits, and yes, smashing boundaries (both the cricket kind and the metaphorical ones). Fast forward to 2002. There I was at Lords, lifting the BBS Primary Club Trophy with South Wales Dragons. My peak? Absolutely. Then life happened. Family, work, the usual suspects. I hung up my cricket whites in 2005. But here’s the twist. Inspired by my son and at 44 I made a comeback last year. Now, I’m the captain of Staffordshire Wolves. Talk about a plot twist. This role has been a game-changer. New friends. New challenges. And a whole lot of cricket. 2024 is a big year for us. The Staffordshire Wolves are turning 10! That’s a decade of defying odds and hitting it out of the park. But we’re not just celebrating. We’re planning. Growing. Dreaming big. We need more than just applause to get us through the season. Equipment, transport, publicity—you name it, we need it. So, here’s the pitch (pun intended). Can you help? A share, a shout-out, or maybe even sponsorship. Every little bit helps. Right? Could you or your business form a solid partnership with us? Help drive us to a successful 10th anniversary season. Staffordshire Cricket Ltd British Blind Sport RNIB The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Beacon Vision Focus Birmingham Black Country Chamber of Commerce Swansea University Birmingham City University Express & Star #disability #inclusion #sport #cricket #disabilitysport #blindspot #blindness #visualimpairment

The Pro Academy Model in Africa   It is no secret that Africa is a global source of footballing talent. I have written in the past about the challenges that hold back the continent in terms of club and national team success, but there is no denying that the players themselves have managed to break these barriers and flourish in the best leagues in the world. A lot of these players come through European club academies in Africa, in an intersection between the two worlds.   Clubs like FC Barcelona, PSG, West Ham have all made this move, and more are likely to follow.   So what are the benefits for both sides?   For the clubs, it is quite simple. You develop academies that provide the necessary conditions for players to develop, from living conditions and nutrition, to high level coaching and personal guidance. You can try to implement your club’s philosophies and vision, and bring players onboard from an early age. This makes for better formed players and young men and women, who will be more prepared to face the challenges of moving to Europe, both at a football and personal levels. By investing in this model, European clubs are diminishing the risks involved in player transfers, and being generally more assertive about who they choose to bring over. As for the players, the benefits are quite obvious. By being inserted in these ecosystems, their chances of landing the desired move to top leagues increase significantly. Often times, this is due to the direct line that exists between the academies and the parent clubs. And even if they make the move to a different team, they come in with the “academy product” seal. We have seen several examples of players that have successfully made the transition, like Yaya Touré, John Obi Mikel and Kelechi Iheanacho. This gives other clubs the confidence that they can bet on academy players and extract the best from them.     The main aspect that prevents this model of being truly widespread is the high investments necessary, and the lengthy timelines involved. To build a successful academy, clubs must invest in facilities, staff, nutrition, etc, and the bill becomes quite steep after some time. Then there is the time component, where clubs must be aware that these are medium to long term propositions. You are not likely to find European level talent within six months, or even a year. You generally need at least 4-5 years of consistent work to see tangible results.   Also, it must be said that the great majority of these academies are based in West Africa, and more specifically in Nigeria. It makes sense that they would start there, as this is a region that has been producing top players for a long time. However, clubs need to also look elsewhere if they want to optimize their operations. The wider the net they cast, the better.

South Island NRL Bid is thrilled to partner with the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport for a Summer research project to support our North American strategy for our #NRL / #NRLW license submission. It is evident that the National Rugby League regards North America as a pivotal region for its ambitions of global dominance in #sports #entertainment. The growing interest and recent developments in U.S. rugby league are laying a solid foundation for future expansion and success. This strategic focus on North America aims to capitalize on the region's potential, ensuring a thriving and influential presence in the global sports arena. That's why we are partnering on this research project—to leverage these opportunities and build a robust North American strategy. The project: Eight exceptional #NYU #undergraduates from countries all over the world will study the rugby league context in the U.S., diving deep into the NRL’s recent Vegas endeavor and exploring new pathways for American players to join our future Men’s and Women’s Team, building on the good work already being done by the NRL. The project will be led by Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs & Clinical Assistant Professor Gina Antoniello, who has extensive experience with new franchise development and strategic launch initiatives for major sporting organizations. Her industry stops include leadership roles with the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors, as well as the XFL's historic North American launch in 2020. Her research interests focus on athlete #activism and #socialjustice in sport and society. In her doctoral coursework, her cognate was law and policy in sport and her Dissertation examines using sport as a protest platform and its impact on fan attitudes and behaviors. Her familiarity with the Australasia sporting landscape as well as her global consulting will lend a nuanced perspective to the team, as her socialization of sport courses have been taught across four continents in the last year alone. The NYU Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport (https://lnkd.in/emxnzRBz) is a top 20 sports management program in the world, with a vision statement dedicated to preparing global sport #business and sport #management #leaders for the future. Their three key pillars of focus are: - Sport Industry #Research and Thought #Leadership - Industry-Focused Continuing #Education - Custom-Tailored Executive Education South Island NRL Bid Team is committed to fostering real-world experiences through university partnerships both at home and abroad. These projects equip students with valuable industry insights and hands-on learning opportunities. Please welcome our new extended Team! 

 Still aged only 32, ex-England international Reece Lyne knows he’s good enough to carry on running around in Super League. But the experienced centre joined Championship part-timers Doncaster when he recently left relegated Wakefield because he wants to plough more time into his big passion: helping disadvantaged children. Lyne has set up a house in Hull where he’ll help teenage kids who’ve been in care get ready for adult life. He explained: “It’s exciting. I’m just waiting for it to go through the OFSTED process. It’s a single occupancy residency, looking at 16 years plus and then maybe a bit younger, although it’s mainly down to demand. It’s all about getting them ready for that next stage in their life and organised with things which we may class as basic - learning how to manage money, applying for college, things like that - so once they get to adult age they’re independent enough to do it on their own. "There’s such a need for it. The councils have a list of kids who they’re looking to place and there’s just not enough places as there’s so many. That’s where we want to help.” Hull-born Lyne had a turbulent childhood himself and has looked to give back throughout his rugby career. When ex-Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was RFL president, he gave the player a special award for his voluntary work with young offenders. Lyne added: “I’ve always dived into stuff during my whole career, whether it be with young offenders in Hull or going to mentor at Wetherby prison. And after a decade and more than 200 top-flight games for Wakefield, he knew it was time to move on - and also, to the surprise of many, forget about Super League. Lyne said: “The past couple of years I have found it tough. I’ve not really enjoyed it. I definitely needed to leave Wakefield. And I mean that in the best way as the club means so much to me. I don’t take it lightly. “But I do think it was for the best for both parties. I wish them all the best. It looks like they’re in good hands with a new owner. With me, having this work on the side, I really wanted to crack on with it. I was looking for something different. I still genuinely believe I can play Super League. But I’ve been doing it since I was 16 and gave it my all. I’ll continue to do that with Donny. But I just felt I needed something different to rugby to focus on.”

Latest from FE News: The skills gap requires an innovative approach – bring the sports sector on board : A global skills crisis looms; a challenge as vast as this calls for an innovative approach. The Skills England task force will be crucial in… The skills gap requires an innovative approach – bring the sports sector on board  was published on FE News by David Ellis #EmployabilityNewsCareerGuidanceAdvice Read more here:

QSport is calling for the incoming State Government to ensure investment and support in sport reflects and reinforces the central role sport plays in the lives of Queenslanders and their communities while also effectively leveraging the commercial opportunities available in the build-up to Brisbane 2032. In consultation with SSOs, the Queensland Olympic Council (QOC) and other sporting bodies, QSport has prepared an Election Brief that identifies four priorities that the next State Government must work in partnership with sport to address; organisational capability, places and spaces for sport, sport workforce development and Brisbane 2032 Games readiness and legacy. Key challenges include: ➡️ Sports cannot secure Government investment in attracting and hosting international events in Queensland in the lead-up to 2032, squandering the economic benefits and opportunities to develop a local Games-ready workforce they would provide ➡️ Sports are being invited by international federations to host test events ahead of 2032, and international teams want to begin training in Queensland, but the required facilities are not available ➡️ More than 80% of state sporting organisations highlight building and retaining their volunteer workforce as a ‘critical’ or ‘major’ concern READ MORE ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gQmp7Dwe

Diversity in employment is also an asset

Inverness Craig Dunain Following the disappointing public announcement in The Press and Journal on Friday concerning the “pause” on the UHI all-weather pitch proposal, which was meant to be a long-awaited new chapter in the life of the club, we offer the following response: Whilst we fully appreciate that there are funding issues affecting many developments across many sectors in this difficult financial climate, we need to be very clear about the anger and frustration we feel. It is not just about the shelving of this project, but about the continued and systematic failure of some MSPs, Elected Members, The Highland Council and others - who are too numerous to list - to support and engage effectively with us over the years. Following the loss of our pitch to a Robertson’s development in 2001, the company made two payments to The Highland Council in 2016 in lieu of the creation of a new facility as was part of the original planning requirements. We were not included in this discussion, despite planning minutes stating that we should be. Subsequently, we are 7 years later and we have seen zero benefit from the payments, which were due to be part of the funding for the new UHI facility - all be it only a small one. Over the last two seasons we have been relying on our neighbouring clubs at Ross Sutherland, Moray and Highland to help us out with our “home” games. We are extremely grateful for the support we have received, but these arrangements were meant to be temporary! As it stands, ICD have been without a permanent home pitch for 23 years, and here we are in the 21st Century and there is not one rugby pitch in Inverness for hire from The Highland Council and no sign of one soon, despite our best efforts at meaningful engagement. There are rugby pitches available at some local schools but the council have informed us that these are not available for let. The growth of the city and the shrinkage of sporting facilities is failing the residents of the region who require choice, whether that be for rugby or for any other sports and recreational activity. In a time when we all recognise the importance and need for exercise as a key contributor to our health and wellbeing, it is an absolute scandal. The fact that our city is now home to a state-of-the-art university facility that provides many sporting courses, and yet it was built with zero outdoor sporting facilities seems absolutely mind boggling. Be assured that we will continue to push for facilities for our players, volunteers and supporters. The fortitude of this club is remarkable and worth celebrating. We are sure that some in the Council hope we will just go away and cease to exist. They have clearly failed to understand and underestimate our resilience and determination. We love the game and have continued to thrive and provide a welcoming and inclusive environment despite all the challenges thrown at us over the years. Is the provision of one grass pitch and changing rooms too much?

With the ever increasing focus on the social and community value of events and festivals, it’s interesting to see how comparable industries measure and report on these impacts. Scottish Rugby‘s Social Return on Investment report on grassroots rugby gives a clear £ value against Social and Health & Wellbeing (as well as economic impart).  A clear headline value figure and ROI that makes for an impactful announcement.  Off to look at the full report to see what evaluation methodologies and practices are transferable into the evaluation and reporting of events and festivals. https://lnkd.in/eMt945-a