GO north yorkshire youth games

Proving that there are still plenty of youngsters out there who would rather be getting fit than sitting in front of their Playstations, The North Yorkshire Youth Games is an annual celebration of junior sport for 9-15 year olds and seems to become increasingly popular every year.

More than a thousand children head to Harrogate from across the county to take part in a wide variety of sports ranging from athletics to football to swimming.

The event brings a brilliant atmosphere to the area and offers a wonderful opportunity for children from all backgrounds to come together in a sporting spirit.

The first Youth Games were held in York in 2000 to provide a competitive opportunity for children. That ethos still holds true and many of the 200 children who represented Harrogate at the 2004 Games in York were novices in their chosen sports.

Harrogate’s Youth Games squads are generated in different ways for different sports but most commonly children are invited to attend ten week coaching programmes in the run up to the Games.

There are lots of opportunities to practice and improve their skills before putting them into practice. All squads are organised and supervised by the Council’s Sports Development Team who undergo specialist health and safety training.

The North Yorkshire Youth Games 2004 was the biggest and best yet and Harrogate will continue to play a leading role – who said children prefer to sit in front of computer games all day?