A new Football Association (FA) Skills Centre was launched at Spennymoor Leisure centre on Wednesday 19 September 2007.

The Tesco FA Skills Programme arrived in Sedgefield Borough as part of an initiative where 66 full-time professional coaches have been employed across the country, with 6 of these being based within County Durham. The FA Skills Programme will provide opportunities for girls and boys aged 5 to 11 to participate in high quality coaching, and develop skills that will improve their football. It will also potentially aid their development in other sports.

The initiative is part of the FA’s drive to raise football standards in 5 to 11 year olds. It is hoped that the new coaching opportunity will affect the long term development of the game and the individual’s potential.

The coaches have recently undertaken a specialist age-appropriate coaching course, designed to make them leading experts in developing the skills of the 5 to 11 year old age group.

The professional coaching is key to the development of the children, but the sessions will also allow the children to make their own decisions and solve problems. Emphasis will be placed on encouraging the children to experiment and also explore their own ideas. They will also gain an understanding of how to develop, and how to learn from mistakes and challenges.

Councillor Barbara Graham, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture said: “We are engaging in partnership work with a number of other organisations including the FA to create a “Healthy Borough”. Through partnership work, we hope to provide exciting opportunities within our facilities to allow people to take part in sporting activities that help them to maintain good health and develop new skills.”

Richard Shuffleton, FA Skills Coach at Spennymoor Leisure Centre said: "Not only are we looking at unearthing the next generation of young English players we are geared towards increasing the number of children engaged in quality Football Coaching and more importantly enjoying the Footballing experience. We as coaches will equip the children with the necessary fundamental skills that will enable them to be successful in a range of sports, not just Football!"

The FA Skills Centre at Spennymoor Leisure Centre will be held on Wednesday evenings at the following times:

• 4.30pm to 5.30pm (Ages 5 to 7 years)
• 5.30pm to 6.30pm (Ages 7 to 9 years)
• 6.30pm to 7.30pm (Ages 9 to 11 years)

The FA will take bookings in advance with the capacity of 32 people per hour. For further information contact Richard Shuffleton on 07943862273 or email Richard.Shuffleton@TheFA.com or visit www.TheFA.com/Skills