PRESS RELEASE: On the podium with Team #SBS – Dragon’s Den Theo picks A-Star Sports as his Olympic week winners

Even the Dragons have succumbed to the lure of the ‘Lympics. As Team GB was powering towards its greatest ever Olympic victories, Theo Paphitis has chosen A-Star Sports, the dynamic, UK-wide sports coaching business, as a winner in his prestigious #SBS.

The acclamation puts A-Star Sports, established in just November last year, up on the podium to crown an award-winning flying start – and it is showing no signs of flagging as it goes from strength to strength.

#SBS – it stands for Small Business Sunday, shortened to #SBS on Twitter – was created by Dragon’s Den’s Theo in 2010. Theo, chairman of Ryman Stationery and Boux Avenue lingerie and joint owner of Red Letter Days, is also a mentor to and investor in many other businesses.

Each week he rewards small businesses that tweet him @TheoPaphitis and describe their business in one tweet including the all-important hashtag #SBS. Only tweets made in the time slot between 5.00 PM and 7.30 PM on Sundays count.

In the glow of Britain’s Olympic triumphs, he selected A-Star Sports, which is helping to discover the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners of the future by offering coaching for children from two years old to 10, teaching them to play individually, in games with a partner or in teams.

Delighted A-Star Sports co-founder Sharon Bassett said: “This is the moment of glory for us. I’m a great follower of #SBS and I really wanted to be part of it – but to win it in Olympic week is really Golden. We should buy a Lottery ticket now!”

A-Star Sports, registered in North Wales, already has 11 franchise territories throughout the UK and the bfa-affiliate 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.

Sharon, her partner Gary and two other couples who started the business – Kevin & Caroline Key and Alister & Lorna Ramm – have brought more than 50 years of coaching experience, best practice and creativity to bear on clubs, schools and organisations in the UK and beyond.

Its expert advisory team includes people with experience in the national governing bodies of sports, as PE specialists and teachers, as child psychologists and authorities in child behaviour management, as well as business, partnership and sports management professionals.

Sharon added: “Team #SBS is a fantastic and generous community and new Twitter followers are increasing by the minute. Theo has more than a quarter of a million followers, so being an #SBS winner will have a massive impact on our business.”