British Athletics has launched the Street 2 Stadium Academy pilot programme which is searching for future Olympic and Paralympic track and field stars in Autumn 2018 living within inner city areas of London and Manchester.

The Street 2 Stadium Academy is a pilot development programme running from November 2018 to July 2019 which invites schoolchildren in these inner-city areas to a trial day.

The first events took place in London and Manchester last week, with over 300 schoolchildren taking part in a series of challenges to test their speed, agility and power over 60 metres, the long jump, and in a medicine ball throw activity.

The pilot initiative provides these prospective athletes with a chance to meet and hear from some of the best British track and field athletes in the country, have their fitness challenged by some of the leading coaches, and be provided with information about athletics clubs and the performance pathway in the sport. In addition, athletes with a disability can find out all about the Paralympic system by our knowledgeable team of British Athletics Parallel Success co-ordinators.

A small group of attendees will be selected to be part of the Street 2 Stadium Academy for 2019 based on how well they perform on the trial day. Following the trial session, British Athletics will direct athletes to their local club where they will be provided with weekly training sessions during term-time.

After the pilot programme comes to an end in July 2019, the local athletics club will take over the lead for their development, and those who excel could be directed towards the British Athletics Development Squads which is the next step in preparing for competition on a world stage.

Sarah Benson, the Paralympic Pathway Manager, commented:

“It’s really exciting to launch this pilot project as we look to search for the next Paralympic and Olympic track and field stars. This is one element of our development programmes, but this is targeting inner city schools where we believe there is a lot of talent who don’t necessarily know the pathway available to them. So, this project is about working with schools in these regions and providing them with the best coaches, the best athlete role models, and fun and engaging sessions to find those who will either continue to develop in an athletics club, or progress through the pathway at British Athletics.”

Find out more about the British Athletics Street 2 Stadium pilot programme here.