Coca-Cola Enterprises to sponsor Bexley’s gifted athletes
Monday, February 09, 2009
A new initiative to discover and support local sporting talent has been launched which could pave the way for Bexley's next Steve Backley at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Coca-Cola Enterprises is the lead sponsor of the project, which will support talented athletes in their efforts to qualify for funding on a national level. The scheme was developed by the London borough of Bexley and is being launched in the Spring.
The sponsorship will provide a comprehensive package of support
for talented young sports people either living or going to school
in the Bexley area. Each year it will nurture a core group of
athletes (once they have made it through the assessment criteria)
over the next five years. The key objectives of the programme
are:
• To enable local athletes each year to progress to a
National Governing Body of Sports (NGB) world class programme where
they will receive greater levels of support.
• To ensure at least three athletes from the Bexley area
represent GB at the London 2012 Olympic/Paralympic Games.
The Coca-Cola Enterprises site in Sidcup employs 370 people, and manufactures and distributes the widest range of Coca-Cola products amongst the company's UK sites. The site has been operating in Sidcup since 1961.
Coca-Cola Enterprises has been involved with sporting initiatives in Bexley since 2007. During 2007/8, CCE supported the funding of local sports clubs to train coaches for 13-18 year olds. As a result, 15 local clubs transformed the number of young people they were able to coach. Bexley Athletics Club and Bexley Hockey Development Group were amongst the clubs that saw a tangible difference in the level of support they were able to provide their members.
Kevin Parke, Operations Director at Coca-Cola Enterprises Sidcup
said:
"We have a real pool of sporting talent here in Bexley, and this
is a fantastic way to support them and put something back into the
community. At Coca-Cola Enterprises we are passionate about sports
and want to help local athletes reach their full potential. The
2012 Games will be a great opportunity for the next generation of
young athletes and we welcome the chance to play a part in
that."
The Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism,
Councillor Peter Catterall, said:
"We are delighted to be working in close association with
Coca-Cola Enterprises and this partnership will significantly
benefit some of Bexley's talented young sports people as they
pursue their sporting goals".
Notes to editors
About Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd. Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) is a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc, the world's largest marketer, producer and distributor of the products of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd manufactures and distributes TCCC products, as well as products for other brand-owners, throughout England, Scotland and Wales, and employs around 4,600 people. For more information about Coca-Cola Enterprises, please visit: www.cokecce.co.uk.
