Aptitude Youth, our local delivery partners in Coventry, are training up 10 young people as qualified sports leaders using funding from Levelling the Playing Field.

Aptitude have a vision of making their organisation 'young person-led', building up the skills and confidence of their participants to form a team of young leaders who can take ownership of sessions and be role models for their peers.

LtPF funding has allowed them to offer 14-21-year-olds the opportunity to complete a Sports Leadership Level 1 qualification during the October half-term to get practical experience as a coach, youth worker and mentor. The opportunity coincides with LtPF's 'Leadership Month'.

Hasan, Emmanuel and Gideon – all members  of the five-a-side football team that has grown from Aptitude’s Tuesday night Levelling the Playing Field sessions, have already signed up for the course (they also participate in Aptitude’s LtPF open football session on Thursday nights at Red House Park in Foleshill).

Six girls have also been put forward for the course from Aptitude’s evening youth club. They are all demonstrating leadership potential and have interests in becoming youth workers or PE teachers in the future.

“We’re trying to build a workforce with our young people,” says Andrew Hopcroft, Aptitude’s Youth and Sports Mentoring Lead. “I’m really passionate about the importance of us becoming more young person-led. This course is part of getting them ready for that platform.”

Emmanuel, pictured volunteering below (who LtPF spoke to during our ‘Youth Voice’ month in September), is already volunteering at Aptitude’s Levelling the Playing Field football sessions. The course will formalise that initial leadership experience and bring others into the fold as potential session leaders in sport, youth work and mentoring. 

Andrew added: “I’ve done this course myself when I was younger and for another staff member Greg it helped him turn his life around. For me, it was the first timeI got a real taste of sports coaching, supporting other people and being a leader. It really helped me. 

“A few of the young people we have enrolled are thinking about university, apprenticeships or going straight into work. This course will really empower them to achieve those ambitions and throw them in at the deep end, giving them practical on-the-job leadership skills. 

“A lot of our young people struggle with mental health, confidence and communication. Putting them on this course will help them in all these aspects as well as giving us a youth-led workforce for hopefully years to come.” 

Read more about Aptitude Youth here.