Alderney youth sport on the up

The Alderney Sports Foundation (ASF) Action Plan is already bearing fruit. Strong links have been established between St Anne’s School and many of the island’s sports clubs and more children are participating in sport, particularly football and tennis.

The football club has resumed regular youth training and development sessions led by qualified coaches, and ten Alderney youngsters competed in a tournament and friendly matches in Guernsey over the weekend 29-30 May.

Saturday morning youth coaching sessions at the Alderney Tennis Club have attracted a high level of interest, and the club hopes to build on that over the summer.

A relatively new club on Alderney, the Okinawan Karate Club, is enjoying a strong start. The club conducted its first grading weekend at the end of May. Eight juniors took tests to gain their orange belts, and after more than an hour of basic techniques, pad striking and strength work, all were successful. Another five students take the same tests on 5 June, and everyone that passes will go on to the red belt tests in September.

Sports clubs on Alderney are conscious of the need to adhere to Safeguarding, Health and Safety, and Governance mandates. Representatives from the football, sailing, rugby, tennis and boxing clubs all attended the Guernsey Safeguarding Level 2 courses held at the Mignot Memorial Hospital in mid-May. The football club has applied for the Football Association (FA) Charter Standard via the Guernsey FA, and a number of clubs are candidates to acquire the Guernsey Sports Commission’s SportsMark status. In addition, Alderney has contributed to the GSC survey of Bailiwick sporting facilities.

The summer months promise to be a busy time for sporting youngsters on Alderney. School activities week in mid-July will feature a range of options including sailing and sea swimming, and a sports camp will hopefully take place in the first week of the holidays. The ASF have enlisted the help of a volunteer Mirren Stevens, who is a qualified sailing instructor with experience in a number of other sports.

You can access a copy of the ASF Action Plan here