Hugh Myddelton Primary School are excited to be hosting an inspirational workshop with Senior British Championship Gold medalist Issa Batrane. Issa needs your help to raise funds for vital training, medical and competition costs. This money will also help your school and other athletes across the country, find out more below!
"At Hugh Myddelton Primary School they believe in laying the foundations on which children can build their futures."
Who's Coming?
How I Started
I started playing Indoors Volleyball for my hometown club Richmond Volleyball Club in South West London as a junior player around the age of 13/14. Then as a junior I progressed through the ranks within the club representing the men’s first team around the age of 15/16 years old before I was then selected to be apart of the England Juniors Indoor National Team having captained my England regional team to gold at the UK School Games. I then moved to a full time volleyball academy, The LeAF Academy in Bournemouth, England. It was there when I was 16/17 that after my first full indoor year the coaches asked me to try also play some beach volleyball this summer. It was more for my touch but to continue with becoming more explosive with my jump on the indoors as a Passer/Hitter and Right Side Spiker. Then in that first summer playing on the British Beach Volleyball National Tour I managed to win the Junior British Championships and placed top 5 in various senior events which sparked interest from the Junior Beach Volleyball National team coaches to have me train and potentially compete on the sand.
I then decided to continue playing indoors as I was pursuing a scholarship to go to university but then doing as much beach volleyball as I could when it came round to that season until I decided to go with full time beach volleyball only back in 2017.
My Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement to date probably still has to be my first Senior British Championship gold medal. Although I have a lot of other bigger goals in my career currently, this one still sticks with me as it was my first. Being young was a great milestone to achieve and still to this day it makes me so happy but also so hungry to do more and achieve greatness even at my young age in the sport.
My greatest Challenge
I can’t really think of any one challenge that has been overly difficult. I’ve been injured, i’ve lost relatives, i’ve not been selected for events…. these are just some that come to mind but I think probably not having the easiest upbringing growing up shaped me to have that level of resilience and that nature of fighting through the good and the bad times because it is very rare that things go smoothly in the world and all I would say is keep your chin up and know your worth. You can do great things and be successful but all you need to do is keep taking one step at a time and that is what I continue to tell myself in order to keep on being better.
My Future Goals
My hopes and future goals for our team firstly is to compete in our major home games, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England but the big end goal for our team of myself and my partner Freddie is a future World Championships and Olympic Games. That is the pinnacle of our sport and we are young but we are hungry and work hard with our team to be better and work smarter every week.
Outside of Volleyball it truly is first to inspire the younger generation even though I am still considered young myself. I would also like to grow the game within the UK as well as inspiring people from deprived backgrounds like myself to compete in this sport a lot more.
This along with my passion in Sustainability to help people make better choices each day that can have an impact on what the future of our planet will be like are areas I really hope to have an impact in with my career and are future goals of mine.
Who are Sports For Champions?
Great news! Sports For Champions UK (CIC) will soon visit your school! Your young people have been invited to join a sponsored fitness circuit led by a Professional athlete, who will educate, enable, and empower participants with a view to inspiring them to be the champions of tomorrow.
While we're not all athletically inclined, we strongly encourage participation, all young people have talent and require inspiration to pursue their dreams - whatever they may be!
After 12 years of success we have perfected our inspirational events and they are guaranteed to deliver for your school and pupils!
Sports For Champions events are held in support of schools, which keep 60% of the funds raised to spend on resources that will enrich young peoples education/experience. Professional athletes in need of support are the only other beneficiaries from the remaining 40%. Sports For Champions is an audited organisation that is voluntarily registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Meaning you can support the initiative with assurance.
What will happen on the day?
During the assembly, Sports For Champions athletes show medals and tell their story, hard work, lessons, and insights shared to capture the imagination of all and inspire healthier active lifestyles. Athletes discuss challenges on the road to success, with resilience, nutrition, diet, and dedication forming key topics. Fitness is essential for every young person’s general wellbeing in physical and mental health. It is also proven to be a strong booster of learning potential or brain power. By inspiring children as champions of tomorrow, Sports For Champions envision young people developing in all walks of life as healthy, [pro] active community-minded participants in society.
Alongside Team Sports For Champions, athletes engage in invaluable work within local communities to support their training-related costs (e.g. physio/travel). Most world-class athletes train a rigorous 35hr week and struggle to find reliable work that fits their schedule. This is how the funds we raise enable athletes and your school/club to realise their potential. Many pro athletes are unsponsored, lose support, or cannot find it.
Sports For Champions offers schools the benefit of an additional funds to go towards resources/facilities, whilst helping athletes with the funds required to sustain their journey with a contribution towards training and competition fees, medical costs, equipment, and more.
Hugh Myddelton Primary School will be receiving an inspirational visit from Senior British Championship Gold medalist Issa Batrane, on the the 12th of July 2024 and we need your support!
The pupils will benefit from physical activity through our fitness circuit, an inspirational talk including medal display and a Q&A session.
Where does the money go?
When parents and guardians offer their support to a Sports for Champions UK (CIC) fundraising event, they are nurturing not only their children's immediate environments but also the bright futures of many rising athletes. Here is a breakdown of how your contributions make a significant difference:
For each fundraising event Sports For Champions looks to raise enough money to cover the costs that it takes to provide such an excellent service nationally. Once that goal is reached, surplus funds are allocated in a way that benefits both the school and our passionate athletes – 60% for the school’s continued growth and 40% contributing to the athlete fund.
At the core of the Sports For Champions UK (CIC) initiative is the Athlete Fund. Primarily, the fund aids schools in less economically privileged areas that might struggle with costs, ensuring that the administrative fee isn’t a barrier to vital opportunities. Additionally, it assists our dedicated athletes in moments of pressing need, whether it’s recovering from injuries, procuring advanced equipment, or embarking on warm-weather training camps. Our fundamental belief remains unwavering: no school should be compromised for its economic stance, and every promising athlete deserves a fair shot at excellence. Our commitment ensures no child or school is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
Challenges Athletes Face: Our partnering pro athletes and Team GB Olympians have a world of responsibilities on their shoulders. They juggle between a rigorous training schedule that demands over 35 hours a week and their personal commitments. This often leaves them with limited time and resources to focus on their careers, leading to financial constraints. Expenses for equipment, training, coaching, travel, and more pile up, making it a challenge for these athletes to perform at their best and represent Great Britain.
Why is this important?
Hugh Myddelton Primary School is promoting health and wellbeing throughout the school and with the help of a visit from Issa Batrane, this will be enhanced across all year groups and staff, they are also focussing on encouraging diversity and raising the aspirations of the pupils through sport.
Hugh Myddelton Primary School will benefit from the money raised as they will be able to provide new equipment, fund opportunities for the children, and more.
How can you help?
We're asking all parents to help make it a memorable event for the pupils with the help of Senior British Championship Gold medalist Issa Batrane, to raise funds for key resources for Hugh Myddelton Primary School.
If you are a local business or a friend of the school and would like to contribute to help us get to our target then please do make a donation and share our project as far as you can.