The new National Indoor Arena will be formally opened tomorrow morning by Taoiseach Enda Kenny but the doors are already open and yesterday it played host to around 300 secondary school children who have taken part in the Sky Sports Living for Sport Programme.
Former Leinster and Ireland Rugby legend Gordon D’Arcy was host for yesterday’s Sky Academy Inspiration Day – dedicated to building young people’s skills through a series of sports sessions and activities that help them unlock their potential on and off the field of play.
Run by 19 Sky Sports Living for Sport Athlete Mentors including GAA stars Noel McGrath, Lorcan McLoughlin, Darren O’Sulllivan and Cora Staunton as well as athletes including Natalya Coyle, Jessie Barr and Paul Byrne, the event which covered everything from Gaelic Games to Kick-boxing.
Read more of Sport for Business’ coverage of Children and Sport
Sky Sports Living for Sport, in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust is part of Sky Academy which works with young people from primary school right through to the start of their career, using a shared passion for TV, creativity and sport, to build skills and experience.
Supported by a team of world-class athletes including Sky Academy Ambassadors Katie Taylor, Gordon D’Arcy and Darren Campbell, the free initiative is made up of multi-week and one-day sports projects with schools throughout the UK and Ireland.
The programme was introduced to Ireland in 2012 and sees athlete mentors go into schools across the country to kick start programmes that build confidence among the young audiences. It has visited hundreds of schools to date and the athletes we have spoken to that have been part of the team over the years have been universally blown away by the impact they can have.
Founded on the belief that sport has the power to transform young people’s lives, the initiative aims to help them build practical skills and self-confidence. 91% of teachers have reported improvements in self-confidence in those young people that took part.
Image Credit: Inpho
