IT was lift-off at Saltcoats Town Hall earlier this month with the launch of a new sporting programme for aspiring coaches.

The North Ayrshire Sports Academy – NASA– is a programme being introduced by Active Schools and is a coach education, leadership and personal development course aimed at senior pupils.

There are four places per secondary school and selection has taken place from recent leadership opportunities that have been delivered in North Ayrshire followed by an application process.

All 36 students on the course will complete a number of workshops, courses and leadership opportunities. They will also work closely with their Active Schools Coordinator and school staff to promote, deliver and provide opportunities for younger pupils to participate in sport and physical activity in their school and local community.

The Academy follows on from the very successful Leaders’ Week, organised by North Ayrshire Council’s Active Schools team, which have taken place in recent months. The last one – held in August - was attended by almost 70 high school pupils during the summer holidays.

The participants were put through their paces by Active Schools Co-ordinators with the aim of creating a legacy of confident young people who can, in turn, pass on their knowledge to other young people in North Ayrshire. And NASA will give pupils the opportunity to gain further awards and qualifications throughout the year, including a residential course which aims to enhance the leadership skills of young people.

Bruce McMaster, Active Schools Co-ordinator, said: “It was fantastic to get our new Sports Academy up and running and we’re sure it will provide a great opportunity for our young people for years to come.

“We are committed to developing the leadership skills of young people in order to create and sustain better sports opportunities locally. We want to ensure that young people have the chance to influence and shape sport in their community .”