DOHA: Over 300 children participated in the sports activities for the community organised by Park House English School. “We are delighted to be building community focused initiatives in football, rugby and swimming. We have every intention of pushing these initiatives across Doha and Qatar giving all children access to fantastic sporting programmes,” commented Niall Brennan, Director.
Currently the school has invested in three sport programmes: On The Ball sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank; Tornadoes Academy sponsored by GAC; and The English Swim Club.
Tornadoes Academy was first launched in 2010 and today it has 95 children participating in the sport with five coaches. Tag Rugby helps children to develop their hand and eye coordination, agility, movement and speed.
Andy Coomer, Head Coach and Primary PE Head at Park House commented: “We help children develop and learn a range of skills; honesty, fair play, health and fitness, team work in addition to developing their social skills; it provides a forum for young people to learn how to deal with competition and how to cope with both winning and losing and respect for each other’s and for their coaches.”
The school has signed a partnership agreement with GAC, one of the country’s shipping and forwarding agents, to support Tornadoes Academy as both entities believe in providing positive programs to involve and educate the community — it is a way to invest in the future of Qatar through education.
The On The Ball Football School is a new club dedicated to developing fundamental football skills in a challenging yet fun environment. It provides an entertaining and challenging sporting programme; their mission to give children an opportunity to learn basic football skills and have fun at the same time.
This programme is not limited to children from Park House and is open to the entire community. The concept was developed to promote community football coaching across Qatar starting with expatriate international schools and then moving into independent schools.
“We are working with the children while maintaining our core values. The On the Ball football session encourages team activities while developing problem solving skills, cooperation and fair play. We put great importance on sport for building a good education system as it promotes healthy living and helps children develop their social skills and teamwork,” said Graham Rennie, Head Coach for On The Ball.
Park House English School has recently announced a partnership with Standard Chartered Bank to support On The Ball. As sponsors of Liverpool Football Club, the participating children will have the opportunity to train with the club’s coaches whenever they are in Qatar.
The English Swim Club, launched in January 2012, currently has 100 children aged three to 11 with the majority of lessons for age three to seven. The club is run by a coach with two student helpers.
“Swimming is also a lifesaving skill that when taught in the correct environment increases confidence in children -not just in the pool- and improves fitness levels,” commented Nicola Jane, Head coach for the English Swim Club.
The Peninsula
