How A-Star Sports is helping to build on the Olympic LegacyThe…

How A-Star Sports is helping to build on the Olympic Legacy

The brilliance of the closing fireworks at the London 2012 Olympics, the most successful Games in modern times, has faded away and the athletes have returned home, many with the extra weight of medals in their bags.

Now all the talk is turning to Legacy, and how the UK can capitalise on what has been one of the most remarkable outpourings of good feeling, optimism and sheer pride in Team GB’s tremendous achievements.

There is a general consensus that the best way to remember the glory of Stratford, Greenwich and Eton Dorney would be to make sure that children in future are able to benefit from a comprehensive sporting education.

But what is sometimes missed in all the enthusiasm is that some businesses have already been delivering just that – an environment from which the aspiring ranks of future Olympians could eventually be chosen.

One such is A-Star Sports, started in just November last year, which offers multi-sports coaching for children from two years old to 10, teaching them to play individually, in games with a partner or in teams.

It already has 11 territories throughout the UK and the bfa Provisional Member franchise is projecting the establishment of 40 territories in the UK within the next three to four years and has identified an ultimate potential of 240 centres. It has just been included in the 2012 Startups 100.

A-Star Sports, registered in North Wales but already reaching out nationwide, was founded by three couples – Gary and Sharon Bassett, Kevin and Caroline Key, and Alister and Lorna Ramm, who have already won a clutch of awards from within the sector.

Each couple had been involved in sports coaching in the private sector and had worked in a variety of roles prior to that, including highly paid executive positions, fireman, primary PE teaching specialist, joiner and in business leadership and development.

Sharon said: “The Olympics are wonderful for profiling sports which don’t usually get much attention. The Games stimulate interest among children and create new commercial opportunities to service that interest, making sport more accessible to children from all backgrounds.

“The excitement and drama of London 2012 has brought into sharp focus what has always been our sporting mission – to make sport fun and enjoyable as well as promoting a healthy, happy lifestyle for many children, which could well include Britain’s sporting stars of the future.”

Article as featured on: Franchise News International