About Met-Track
Background
Met-Track aims to offer sport as the healthy alternative in life to young people who might not otherwise necessarily get the opportunity. It's overarching aim is to reduce anti-social behaviour and offending by young people across London.
Met-Track was the brainchild of Metropolitan Police Superintendent John Powell, combining his professional career with his voluntary role as British International sprints coach. John has spent not far short of 30 years policing London, from driving rapid response cars responding to 999 calls, supervising and managing teams of police officers and staff, to fulfilling the role of a borough's operations commander. Alongside this, he has spent the lion's share of his leave travelling the world with the athletes he coaches, to European and World Championships, Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Met-Track began in 2005 when he piloted it in his then home working borough of Bexley. Obviously the policing spin-offs of this sports diversion scheme include fewer young people on the streets, lower levels of anti-social behaviour, and even a reduction in crime and disorder in local communities. Importantly, it gives young people who want to engage, the chance to do something positive with their lives. The idea is not necessarily to unearth Olympic-level talent, but simply to find people who want to get involved - and who knows where it may lead. Athletes from British International track and field teams past and present, coach at each borough's 'showcase' event where all the local secondary schools are invited to a day's coaching. Here, their pupils can sample international level expertise for free. Then it is up to the participants if they want to take advantage of weekly squad training 'Met-Track' then provides for the rest of the year, overseen by an international level athlete. They, their friends or family, and in fact anyone aged 10-17 within the borough, are then encouraged to get involved.
There are already numerous success stories, and thousands of hours' coaching has been delivered at showcase events or weekly squad sessions. The scheme is expanding across the Capital, and Scheme Manager Matt Threadgold is getting increasingly busy as he coordinates the 23 weekly sessions in 16 of London's boroughs. Numerous Met-Track pupils have gone on to integrate sport into their lives in various ways. Although it is not a talent-spotting operation, there have also been some notable discoveries. One young man initially destined to go off the rails before joining the scheme, went on to medal at his first ever national championships in 2007, and went on to win both English Schools and UK titles, representing England Schools within a further 12 months. Needless to say, his lifestyle and behaviour have done a bit of a u-turn for the better.
Met-Track was the brainchild of Metropolitan Police Superintendent John Powell, combining his professional career with his voluntary role as British International sprints coach. John has spent not far short of 30 years policing London, from driving rapid response cars responding to 999 calls, supervising and managing teams of police officers and staff, to fulfilling the role of a borough's operations commander. Alongside this, he has spent the lion's share of his leave travelling the world with the athletes he coaches, to European and World Championships, Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Met-Track began in 2005 when he piloted it in his then home working borough of Bexley. Obviously the policing spin-offs of this sports diversion scheme include fewer young people on the streets, lower levels of anti-social behaviour, and even a reduction in crime and disorder in local communities. Importantly, it gives young people who want to engage, the chance to do something positive with their lives. The idea is not necessarily to unearth Olympic-level talent, but simply to find people who want to get involved - and who knows where it may lead. Athletes from British International track and field teams past and present, coach at each borough's 'showcase' event where all the local secondary schools are invited to a day's coaching. Here, their pupils can sample international level expertise for free. Then it is up to the participants if they want to take advantage of weekly squad training 'Met-Track' then provides for the rest of the year, overseen by an international level athlete. They, their friends or family, and in fact anyone aged 10-17 within the borough, are then encouraged to get involved.
There are already numerous success stories, and thousands of hours' coaching has been delivered at showcase events or weekly squad sessions. The scheme is expanding across the Capital, and Scheme Manager Matt Threadgold is getting increasingly busy as he coordinates the 23 weekly sessions in 16 of London's boroughs. Numerous Met-Track pupils have gone on to integrate sport into their lives in various ways. Although it is not a talent-spotting operation, there have also been some notable discoveries. One young man initially destined to go off the rails before joining the scheme, went on to medal at his first ever national championships in 2007, and went on to win both English Schools and UK titles, representing England Schools within a further 12 months. Needless to say, his lifestyle and behaviour have done a bit of a u-turn for the better.
Expansion to date
Met-Track began with a pilot borough in Bexley in 2005, expanded into Greenwich in 2006, and has since undertaken an ambitious development programme that sees it now fully operational in 22 of London's 32 boroughs. There are plans to expand still further, with active dialogue already ongoing with new boroughs with a view to launch during 2010. The principle constraint on faster roll-out in boroughs is the availability of funds.
Met-Track's format has also developed significantly since its founding. Launch events now incorporate street dance as an additional activity along with football. This is delivered by instructors from a leading London dance school, and coaches or players from the local professional football club. Subject to funding, it is hoped that street dance - an immensely popular activity now - will also be able to be bolted onto the weekly squad sessions at venues which are suitably equipped. Also incorporated into launch events is a talk from a prison warden and serving prisoner (who is released on licence specifically for the event). They enlighten the audience as to the realities of custody, and leave little to the imagination. It is a talk that has totally captivated even the most challenging of young audiences, and delivers a very powerful message indeed. |
Cost and funding
Met-Track is a phenomenally cheap product compared with almost any other similar scheme. It is unique in presenting the international experience of some of Britain's top athletic talent in a (qualified) coaching role. . There is no longer any project funding available from Met' coffers, and so each borough has to raise the cost of their scheme locally.
Sources of support traditionally emanate from the local Community Safety Partnership, Sports Development funds, or locally-based sources intended to support activities for young people. England Athletics, a branch of the governing body of track and field in the UK, have part-funded the Scheme Manager’s post. The Met’ have agreed to fund this post with effect from August 2010.
A typical borough scheme with a 3-day showcase event would cost around £9000 for a year’s coaching. However, if numbers attending weekly sessions increase, or the borough decide they want more than one session per week, that cost increases on a pro-rata rate of £2500 per session or per coach per year. Subsequent years cost £3500 without a further launch event.With no external sponsorship, however, expansion has slowed significantly as boroughs struggle to afford even this meagre budget.
Sources of support traditionally emanate from the local Community Safety Partnership, Sports Development funds, or locally-based sources intended to support activities for young people. England Athletics, a branch of the governing body of track and field in the UK, have part-funded the Scheme Manager’s post. The Met’ have agreed to fund this post with effect from August 2010.
A typical borough scheme with a 3-day showcase event would cost around £9000 for a year’s coaching. However, if numbers attending weekly sessions increase, or the borough decide they want more than one session per week, that cost increases on a pro-rata rate of £2500 per session or per coach per year. Subsequent years cost £3500 without a further launch event.With no external sponsorship, however, expansion has slowed significantly as boroughs struggle to afford even this meagre budget.
The Key to success
Local partners are the key that opens the door to success for Met-Track and, sadly, this has represented a significant challenge on some boroughs. Different local authorities have vastly diverse ways of operating. Met-Track does not aspire to have hundreds of young people running round an athletics track. It aspires to be a little more scientific than that.
We want to target those young people most likely to benefit. Many of the young people I have referred to Met-Track were sufferering from low self esteem and confidence. Taking part in helping to train other children younger than themselves in athletics has really helped them to become more confident and communicative.
Once the general interest level has been promoted through a borough launch (showcase) event, the engagement of youth services on a borough becomes absolutely key in driving the scheme forward. Youth offending teams, schools, pupil referral units, existing youth intervention projects, can all help in ensuring the young people most likely to benefit from the scheme are referred, and get the chance to take up sport as the healthy alternative to less constructive activity.
Surprisingly, some boroughs are confronted with less than enthusiastic partners, and much work has to go into ensuring their engagement. This said, with the support of Mayor Boris Johnson, the GLA, MPA, various Criminal Justice partners (many of whom attended the scheme’s 2008 conference), the argument to engage sooner rather than later is fairly compelling!
"I have been working in partnership with the Met-Track project for the past four months and have found the athletics training they offer for young people in Sutton to be excellently run and managed.
Over the period we have been working together, I have referred several low risk youth offenders to the project and those who have attended regularly have gained many skills from their experiences there.
Many of the young people I have referred to Met-Track were suffering from low self esteem and confidence, and taking part in helping to train other children younger then themselves in athletics has really helped them to become more confident and communicative.
Over the next year I am hoping that even more of our young people will be able to work with the coaches at Met-Track, which helps them to become motivated and physically fit, while also increasing their confidence. This goes a good way towards ultimately reducing their risk of re-offending which for us is a great result and an excellent example of the positive benefits to the Sutton Youth Offending Team for working in partnership with Met-Track."
We want to target those young people most likely to benefit. Many of the young people I have referred to Met-Track were sufferering from low self esteem and confidence. Taking part in helping to train other children younger than themselves in athletics has really helped them to become more confident and communicative.
Once the general interest level has been promoted through a borough launch (showcase) event, the engagement of youth services on a borough becomes absolutely key in driving the scheme forward. Youth offending teams, schools, pupil referral units, existing youth intervention projects, can all help in ensuring the young people most likely to benefit from the scheme are referred, and get the chance to take up sport as the healthy alternative to less constructive activity.
Surprisingly, some boroughs are confronted with less than enthusiastic partners, and much work has to go into ensuring their engagement. This said, with the support of Mayor Boris Johnson, the GLA, MPA, various Criminal Justice partners (many of whom attended the scheme’s 2008 conference), the argument to engage sooner rather than later is fairly compelling!
"I have been working in partnership with the Met-Track project for the past four months and have found the athletics training they offer for young people in Sutton to be excellently run and managed.
Over the period we have been working together, I have referred several low risk youth offenders to the project and those who have attended regularly have gained many skills from their experiences there.
Many of the young people I have referred to Met-Track were suffering from low self esteem and confidence, and taking part in helping to train other children younger then themselves in athletics has really helped them to become more confident and communicative.
Over the next year I am hoping that even more of our young people will be able to work with the coaches at Met-Track, which helps them to become motivated and physically fit, while also increasing their confidence. This goes a good way towards ultimately reducing their risk of re-offending which for us is a great result and an excellent example of the positive benefits to the Sutton Youth Offending Team for working in partnership with Met-Track."