News

inspiresport has received a positive write-up in the South Wales Echo, the leading daily newspaper for Cardiff and the South Wales valleys. The article, published this Thursday in the newspaper and online, praises the range of popular sports development tours offered by inspiresport, and details our exclusive agreements with the top sports federations and professional clubs in Britain and beyond.

Sports tours such as those offered by inspiresport have risen in popularity in recent years, partly down to government supported initiatives. As the article discusses, these initiatives have encouraged more groups to book onto our professional coaching tours, which open young minds to new ideas and provide real opportunities to practice new skills, whilst allowing players to move outside of their confort zone and build their confidence levels.

Initiatives such as those aimed at tackling obesity and challenging school attendance levels have resulted in sports tours rising in popularity, as they offer an experience beyond that which can be offered in the classroom. inspiresport’s Managing Director Tom Shorey, who was interviewed for the article, describes how although “it is possible to learn some basic concepts of physical education in class, there is no substitute for real experience in the wider world.”

inspiresport has a wide range of tours available across some of the UK’s most popular sports. A product that has seen a marked rise in popularity in recent years is our range of netball tours to top European clubs. Ysgol Uwchradd Caereinion recently took a group of 24 pupils to Marbella, and their positive experiences are detailed in the article. Teacher and group leader Sian Harries describes how “The trip gave our students a real opportunity to test out their sporting skills, develop their confidence and, in some cases, establish a passion which will remain for years to come.” The school enjoyed their trip so much that they have already booked a similar number of pupils on one of our exclusive football tours this summer.

The article can be read in full at http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2012/02/02/sporting-initiative-inspires-students-91466-30247547/ or, if you’re a South Wales resident, you can pick up a copy from any good newsagent.

Here at inspiresport we work hard to put together tours to some of the world’s greatest clubs, giving young players unrivalled access to the same top coaches who’ve trained some of sport’s biggest names. As such, it’s always great to receive praise for our sports tours, both from the groups themselves and in the press.

We are always working to enhance our product offerings and ensure that the next generation of sports stars receive the best opportunities possible, and look forward to announcing a new range of products in the coming weeks and months.

inspiresport are proud to announce the launch of our new football development tour to Tenerife. This football tour allows school and club teams to receive training masterclasses from ex-professional Spanish La Liga players at a great location.

Your school or club team will receive high quality professional training from some of Spain’s finest footballing stars on all aspects of play, all hosted at the state of the art Tenerife T3 training facility. The Canary Islands’ great climate make this the perfect warm weather training facility all year round!

With training sessions provided by ex-professional players, you can be sure that your team will receive the highest level of coaching possible, at a destination that’s easily accessible from a wide range of UK airports. As with all of inspiresport’s football tours, our coaching sessions are tailor made to your team’s requirements, so the coaches will ensure that training is focussed on the elements you believe are the most important.

Groups will stay at the 3*** Aparthotel Jardín Caleta, located beside “La Enramada” beach and near “Playa del Duque” beach and only 200 metres from the training facility. The is located next to the hotel and 19 km from South Tenerife airport. Rooming is based on triple occupancy. All rooms have private facilities, air conditioning, safe, TV and hair dryer. The hotel also features a TV room, swimming pool, Ping-Pong and 24 hour reception.

This new product complements our existing range of school and club football tour products, with the great location and training provided by ex-professional La Liga players giving the product an added edge. With prices from just £695 per person, we’re confident this product will sell out for 2012 and 2013 school breaks, so reserve your school football team or youth football club a place now and ensure you don’t miss out.

For more information on this great new warm-weather training destination, click here.

We are very proud of our associations with some of the biggest names in the world of football. Now, with our official partnership with the Premiership Rugby Academy, inspiresport can now provide school and club teams the chance to train with the coaches from some of the biggest names in world rugby.

12 teams from Aviva Premiership Rugby’s past and present line-up have opened their doors to allow budding rugby players to receive in-depth training on all aspects of play from the teams’ full time coaches at their professional training grounds, meet and interact with some of the world’s biggest players, and witness the excitement of an Aviva Premiership Rugby match.

The programmes will include skill development, tactical awareness, game management, strength and conditioning help and advice from club physios and nutrition coaches about diet, recovery and rehab.

Another exciting part of the package will see youngsters getting the opportunity to attend an Aviva Premiership match and the chance to mix with players and coaches.

The development camps will run in partnership with 12 past or present Premiership clubs – Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby, Harlequins, Leeds Carnegie, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, London Wasps, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks, Saracens, and Worcester Warriors. Wayne Morris, Head of Community for Premiership Rugby said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with inspiresport to provide this fantastic opportunity for young people. It will allow them to get to learn more about our sport, pick up new skills and grow in confidence.

“We share the same ethos as inspiresport and are passionate about developing the grassroots of the game and unearthing the next generation of rugby stars, as well as inspiring young people to take up the sport.”

Tom Shorey, Managing Director of inspiresport, said: “The Aviva Premiership has established itself as the best domestic club competition in the world and contains some of the biggest names in the game. Through this new partnership we will be offering a professional level of residential development programmes and an opportunity for young players, youth coaches and teaching staff to learn from the best.

“This is the first time the Premiership Rugby clubs have opened their doors to provide this opportunity for groups and we are delighted to become their official partner chosen to deliver these experiences in collaboration with the clubs. The packages are much more than rugby tours – they are education and development experiences that take a serious approach to improving the skills of young players.

“We are delighted to be operating these unique experiences on behalf of Premiership Rugby and are proud to be a part of something that aims to improve the standard of rugby across a broad spectrum of ages and abilities.”

For more information on this brand new product, click here.

Like so many others in the world of sport and beyond, the inspiresport team are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Gary Speed. He was inspiring to so many young football players and fans alike. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Dyke House School from Cleveland recently took the school football tour of a lifetime to Villarreal CF, Spain. The school’s football squad received professional training from the club’s top coaches, played competitive matches against local opposition and even found time to appear on Spanish television before Villarreal’s match against Levante CF. The team had such a great time that they put together a trip video to show off their experiences to parents and the rest of the school.

If you’re interested in a school sports tour with a difference, it’s a great video to watch.

If your school or club team is interested in a sports tour to Villarreal or any of our other top UK, European or worldwide destinations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Either fill in your details on our website or email info@inspiresport.com and we’ll put together a tailored quote to match your team’s requirements.

inspiresport Managing Director Tom Shorey

A collection of Welsh entrepreneurs renowned within the travel industry have joined forces to provide inspiresport with a fresh investment package which will see the organisation undertake a strategic development programme. inspiresport organise coaching trips for schools and sports clubs, and since our launch in 2004, have taken more than 30,000 youngsters to training camps across the UK and Europe, in partnership with some of the biggest clubs in the world of sport.

A total of £340,000 will be injected into the company from existing investors Finance Wales, Tom Shorey and Kevin Johnson, and a team of highly experienced travel industry professionals. These include Simon Powell, Ex CEO of Cwmbran-based travel booking software specialists COMTEC and ex-Comtec Finance Director, Matt Wakerley who introduced the opportunity to fellow investors. Additional investors include Welsh-speaking Richard Calvert; Thomas Cook UK Managing Director of Tour Operations; and Cardiff-born Jonathan Baldwin, a civil aviation specialist, now based in Washington, USA, who is a keen Cardiff City supporter and season ticket holder.

All four have acknowledged the great potential of the sports travel firm and will work closely with existing investors to both maintain inspiresport’s position as an industry leader within the school sports travel marketplace, and to explore new opportunities for growth and development within this niche sector.

inspiresport is a full ATOL holder and is the only one of its kind to be endorsed by national governing bodies for state and independent schools sports tours for football in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, representing the interests of over 17,000 schools.

Managing Director of inspiresport, Tom Shorey, said:

“We have a proven track record in the field of sport travel and the business is currently exceeding targets. Total customers in 2011 are approximately 14% up on 2010 and whilst we work with almost 400 schools across the UK, 70% of our business is repeat customers returning annually so there is significant growth potential and certainly scope for expansion into new areas.

“For the company to achieve its true potential I needed to introduce some travel industry knowledge and experience to the team. I feel this key building block for the business in now in place and combined with the sports marketing knowledge of existing senior management the Cardiff-based company has the perfect opportunity to become a major force within the UK sports travel market.”

Welsh-born Simon Powell, part of the new investment consortium, who will act as non-executive chairman, said:

“I am pleased to be investing in inspiresport and am very much looking forward to working with the team of professionals who run the operation. The heart of this business lies in delivering unique experiences to young people and motivating them to learn new skills in a multitude of sports.

“We have already identified a number of opportunities to build and expand upon the significant success of this tailored service and will be looking in detail at processes, IT systems, distribution channels and sales opportunities to ensure that the knowledge and experience of the management team are fully utilised and that the customer experience is continually improved. It is great to be part of a Welsh investment consortium supporting a successful Welsh business and helping it flourish even further.”

For further information please contact:
Rob Petersen, Managing Director, Petersens on rob@petersensone.com or 02920549597
Louise Yau, Account Manager, Petersens on louise@petersensone.com

Notes to Editors:

• inspiresport works with groups to tailor individual sport development programmes, including travel and accommodation at key sporting clubs and destinations.
• The company also provides sports development programmes for rugby, hockey, netball and lacrosse.
• Around 80% of the company’s customers are state schools, with the remainder independent.
• inspiresport prides itself on providing Groups of Young People with an unrivalled ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Team Sports Development Experience
• inspiresport also specialises in marketing, selling and operating specialist team sports development programmes for the education sector at many of the top football and rugby clubs in the world through niche vacation based training programmes which are operated by recognised sporting institutions or ‘destination resorts’.
• From its formation in 2004, the Company has taken a clear lead in this new industry segment within the school sports travel marketplace.
• The specialist product line developed by the Company for the UK educational sector is now accepted and inspiresport believes firmly that the overall market potential is much greater than first anticipated and it offers significant growth and upside potential.
• The Company has grown swiftly, creating an enviable reputation for quality and reliability as the market leading brand.

inspiresport are proud to announce that they are taking the Scottish Schools’ national under 18s team to Mallorca in February 2012 for a 5 day pre-international football development tour. The team of 18 players will live the lives of RCD Mallorca players as they train at the club’s state of the art Antonio Asensio training ground.

The national representative squad will stay in an exclusive 4* Royal Cristina hotel for the duration of their trip. The team will also take part in 2 competitive fixtures against a similar standard local team.

inspiresport are the only sports development tour operator to be exclusively endorsed by the Scottish Schools’ Football Association, and they come highly recommended by the association’s senior staff.  Stewart Taylor, Head Coach for the Under 18s national team, has travelled with his own school to Spain in the past and recommends inspiresport to any Scottish schools looking for premium quality professional coaching:

“The pupils were promised a trip of a lifetime – inspiresport delivered it! The hotel, training facilities, tailor-made coaching, sightseeing excursions and matches against local teams of similar standard were perfectly suited to our needs. It was a fantastic experience for pupils and staff, well organised and great fun”
Stewart Taylor, Head Coach, Scottish National Under 18s

Alex McMenemy, Treasurer of the SSFA, also had kind words to say about inspiresport, who specialise in offering up-and-coming sports stars the opportunity to train at the homes of some of the world’s greatest clubs and teams.

“The team are excited for the opportunity to get an exclusive glimpse into the lives of professional RCD Mallorca footballers. Having worked with the company for a number of years, I am extremely proud to endorse inspiresport and recommend them to any sports teacher looking to plan a sschool ports trip in the coming years.”
Alex McMenemy, Treasurer, Scottish Schools’ Football Association

The trip is a fantastic opportunity for the young players to hone their skills before their 2012 international games. If your club or school team is interested in a tailored development tour then explore our brand new website and contact us, or call (029) 2039 0747.

inspiresport’s exclusive Valencia CF Football Development Camps have been running all this week in Glasgow and Cardiff. Young players between the ages of 8 and 16 have had the opportunity to receive training from the professional a-licence Valencia CF coaches, experiencing a wealth of Spanish style football right on their doorstep.

This fantastic opportunity has attracted a wealth of press interest, and we’ve had both ITV and the BBC attend the camps to report on the action. Use the links below to view the reports.

BBC Sport – Scottish youths train Spanish style
ITV Wales – Valencia CF’s skill hunt

If you’re a regular visitor to the website, you’ll have noticed that things are looking a little different. It’s with pleasure that we welcome you to the brand new inspiresport website.

Our previous website launched in 2006, and had remained in more or less the same form ever since. While it had stood the test of time, it wasn’t particularly flexible and didn’t allow us to do justice to our premium quality products. The new website has a fresh, clean look, a more organised navigational structure, and tons of new and updated content to give you a better picture of exactly what inspiresport is all about.

Our portfolio of sports development opportunities have grown rapidly over the past few years. We now work with in excess of 43 football, rugby, netball, hockey, basketball and lacrosse clubs and federations, a number which is continually increasing, and each year provide thousands of school and club players with the opportunity to live like professional sports stars and receive coaching from some of the best in the industry. Our new website allows you to delve deeper into our highly rewarding products, with more package information and high quality images than ever before.

The website is still a work in progress – consider it just the beginning of the improvements we shall be making over the coming months. We’ll be refining product information, launching exciting new destinations and further integrating the website with social media. We already have a Facebook Page and Twitter Feed, but these shall be greatly enhanced over the coming months, with more regular updates, more useful facts, and more photographs of past trips.

If you’ve got any thoughts regarding the new site – good or bad! – then please feel free to let us know. We think we’ve made some great improvements with the new website, but know there are always ways to make it even better. Drop us a line on chris@inspiresport.com

inspiresport is delighted to announce that the Marbella Netball Festival will be held again in October 2011. The festival will offer three age categories bringing together representation from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland, as well as invitational teams from Spain and Gibraltar. This exceptional tour offers the unique experience of quality competition, accommodation and sunshine in a 4 day package which will no doubt be a trip of a lifetime. Competitors will be based at the 4 star Atalaya Park Beach & Golf Resort. The resort and tournament is located in the town of Marbella, world renowned for its glamorous lifestyle, designer shops and lavish marina.