Primary Sport: Future champs get valuable leg up

Callum Toft, from Mount Primary, test his skills at a Future Champions session at Blake Park. Photo / John Borren

An elite group of future primary school sports stars have benefitted from top class coaching at Mount Maunganui this week.

The Future Champions programme began on Wednesday and culminates this afternoon with 240 athletes involved in clinics covering 12 sports.

The initiative is a Sport Bay of Plenty exclusive and began six years ago.

One of the event's pioneers is coaching and talent development team leader Dave Clarke.

"What we do with this programme is really focus on kids embracing excellence on and off the field of play if they want to be future champions," he said.

"The key objective is to provide aspiring athletes with top class coaching opportunities and the tools and knowledge for them to be the best they can be.

"We have the older kids in (today) so it will be a big day."

WBOP Primary School co-ordinator Hayley Kerrison said students who stood out at their school were nominated by their teachers and then selected into a maximum of 20 children per sport for the programme.

Today's final day begins with a group session for all codes at Mount Sports Club at 9.15am before the various skills sessions take place at seven venues around Mount Maunganui.