Sarah Larnder is the first Regional (Association of Colleges East Midlands) Sports Strategy Co-ordinator for Further Education. Okay, so the title may be a mouthful, but as Soar found out, Sarah and her colleagues are changing FE sport for the better…

“I came on board back in July after each of the local college principles agreed to provide funding for my role. My aim is to raise the profile of sport within FE, by forging links between the institutions as well as national governing bodies and the wider business community.”

Larnder is no stranger to the sporting community having worked within the county prior to becoming the first person to hold her current position.

“I previously worked at the Leicestershire and Rutland County FA and saw this role as an exciting opportunity, with the potential and scope to introduce new ideas. It’s almost like a blank canvas and there is a lot to be achieved.”

The ambitious former Loughborough University student is supported by a network of FESCO’s (Further Education Sports Co-ordinators) who she liaises with to ensure their collective goals are achieved.

“I do meet with each FESCO to highlight areas where we can improve upon sports provision at their respective colleges. For example, if there are only five players at a college that want to play a sport then we would look to merge a team with another college team, which gives people an opportunity to play competitively.”

One of the key challenges facing Larnder and her sector is sport retention rates. With sport and PE being compulsory until the age of fourteen in England, Sarah and her colleagues have been busily searching for solutions to this problem.

“Post-sixteen drop-out is very prevalent in this country in all sports and that is why FE sport is so important. We are providing alternative opportunities such as street dance, self defence and aerobics as opposed to just the norm of football, rugby and hockey.”

And the commitment to improvement doesn’t stop there, with the wider region being involved.

“My role was initiated by the AoC of East Midlands. There are 28 colleges within the region and a sports strategy group was also set up to drive sport for FE colleges.”

Larnder’s role is not something that should be taken lightly. Clearly, having a passion and knowledge for sport, of which she has an abundance, are prerequisites for such a wide-ranging and complex occupation.

“I studied sports science at university and have always had a great passion for sport, playing football from the age of ten. Sport is different for everyone, whether competitive, for fun or for fitness. I love that I have the chance to influence something I care about deeply.”

That love of being involved in competitive sport has led to Sarah playing football to a respectable standard, having been involved at university level.

“We started Loughborough Foxes about three years ago, with a group of girls that went to Loughborough University and wanted to continue playing football together. We achieved successive promotions and we are in the East Midlands Premier Division, aiming to win promotion again.”

Returning to FE sport, to conclude, perhaps the most significant initiative, given the negativity within the mass media towards youth culture, is the introduction of volunteering and leadership schemes.

“The 16-19 age group is a great age to get involved with volunteering and taking responsibility within sport. Giving people an ownership of what they do is key to the self-improvement we are aiming to achieve, as well as adding to the students’ CV’s.”

Here’s hoping that an often forgotten age group, within sport, is finally beginning to receive the attention and guidance they deserve.

To sponsor Sarah in next year’s Flora London Marathon visit www.justgiving.com/sarahlarnder and make your donation!