The initiative called Fit through Football will be launched at 2pm this afternoon in the Willie Maddren Centre at the Riverside Stadium.
Steve McClaren will be joining primary school children for the launch of another ground-breaking Boro initiative designed to encourage young people to follow a healthy lifestyle.
The Middlesbrough FC manager will join pupils from Dormanstown Primary School to kick off Fit through Football, a three-year project that aims to improve the health, fitness and behaviour of young people in the Redcar and Cleveland area, encouraging them to increase their physical activities and improve their diet.
Fit through Football has been funded to the tune of £220,000 by the Football Foundation and Redcar & Cleveland Local Education Authority. Initially piloted over the summer, it will now be rolled out over 25 primary schools in the Redcar and Cleveland area.
Schools participate in the scheme via a full day’s course at the Riverside Stadium and Boro’s unique football community centre in Eston. The club’s community staff follow this up by delivering a 10-week, in-school course to drive home the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
At the launch, Dormanstown pupils will demonstrate the ground-breaking programme before putting health-related questions to Steve McClaren. He will be joined by fellow VIP guests Jenny Lewis, Director of Education for Redcar & Cleveland, and the Premier League Director of Youth Dave Richardson.
Full of praise for the scheme, McClaren said: “All too often football gets publicity for the wrong reasons, but this is the side of the game that doesn’t get the sort of attention it deserves. Boro are leading the field in using their profile to influence young people as part of a national anti-obesity campaign.
“Fitness and diet are key elements of the modern day game, so football clubs are in an ideal position to advise and influence children in particular. Much has been made recently about increasing levels of obesity, but if the football club, through schemes such as this, can make even a small difference then the effort has to be well worthwhile.”
Rob Lake, Manager of Boro’s Community Project, added: “This is a very exciting development for our project. The health of our young people is a major concern at the moment and this initiative will hopefully kick-start the children into leading a healthier and more active lifestyle.
“The sessions use football as a way of getting across important health messages in a fun and interactive way. Along the way, we aim to get children active out of school, not just with football but by introducing them to all sorts of activities.”
On top of the 10-week health promotion, the 25 schools have signed up to a coaching programme that rewards children for good behaviour. There are after-school opportunities to develop their football skills but vitally improve fitness and provide further opportunities out of the school environment.
The scheme also extends to secondary schools and, again, will reward the students for good behaviour and attendance at school through a series of weekly five-a-side leagues.