Funding plea to help potential medallists

Aug 28 2008 by Richard Fletcher and Lorna Gangel, The Journal

NORTH East sports clubs last night pleaded for money to help turn Olympics-mad youngsters into the medallists of the future.

A Journal investigation has revealed teams across the region have been swamped by youngsters bitten by the Beijing bug.

But they fear a lack of funding and facilities could mean some of the North East’s talent might go by the wayside instead of picking up gold at London 2012 and beyond.

Great Britain’s astonishing dominance of Olympic cycling has left phones ringing off the hook at clubs in the region.

And the country’s other big gold winning sports of sailing and rowing have both also seen a big response.

But talented cyclists face lengthy regular trips to Edinburgh, Bradford and Manchester if they want to reach the top level.

Hetton Hawks’ boss Steve McIntosh, whose club specialises in developing young cyclists, said: "The phone’s never stopped ringing, which is unusual because we normally get new members through e-mail.

"But the interest could be lost, without a doubt. It’s awful that we haven’t got a velodrome. Virtually every region in the country has some sort of velodrome. We’ve got some fantastically talented athletes up here and it reduces their chances of success. We need more facilities – we need a velodrome."

Sailing clubs, whose sport provided four golds in Beijing, said North East youngsters were at a disadvantage compared to those in the South.

Mike Shipway, from Tynemouth Sailing Club, said: "You can always do with more funding and certainly there are bigger and richer clubs in the South, but the structure is the same nationally."

After the GB coxless fours beat Australia to the gold in Beijing, rowing clubs have also had a big surge in new members, but there are differing views as to whether the region can take them to the top level.

Mark Bell, a coach at Durham Amateur Rowing Club, said talented youngsters needed parental support to travel to bases in the South in order to achieve their potential.

He said: "The biggest problem is that the biggest nucleus of rowing clubs is in the London region.

"It limits youngsters if they can’t afford it as there’s a lot of travelling involved. We’ve got two or three athletes every year from the region trying for the GB squad. There’s no chance if they don’t have parental support."

Andrew Bryant, of Chester- le- Street Rowing Club, said his club had been inundated. But he said he believed there were adequate facilities to cope with demand.

He said: "It’s like the Wimbledon effect in tennis. Between the school holidays and the Olympics, we’ve had a dozen to 15 inquiries, which is unusual.

"There’s definitely a 2012 effect. I don’t think it will die off because schools will pick up on it."

He said his own daughter, Victoria, 21, had won three bronze medals in world championships and added: "There are a couple of others who have the potential, so we have the knowledge and facilities within the region. There are individuals who have come out of the clubs and made it through while staying in this region."

Ian Thurlbeck, who works in the investment arm of Sport England, insisted North East children were not at a disadvantage when it came to funding and facilities.

He said: "The Beijing medal winners [from the North East] suggest that’s not the case.

"We develop a number of elite athletes who train in the region. We’re discussing with national organisations what they think their needs are to take their sport onwards."

He said there were two funding streams for sports in the region. Government money, although distributed nationally, was allocated depending on what each region said it required, while Lottery money was available to any individual club who could show their area had a particular need.

Page 2: Clash of views over rowers’ prospects