In 2005 Hampshire was selected as a pilot county for the Competition Manager initiative where four Competition Managers were employed within four School Sport Partnerships. Funded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families, the Competition Manager Initiative was launched nationally in April 2008 when eight Competition Managers were employed to work within the fifteen School Sport Partnerships within Hampshire and the unitary authorities of Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

The aims of the Hampshire Competition Managers Team include

 - To build on the work of the Competition Managers from 2005 in order to increase the number of school aged participants involved in inter-school competition within Hampshire.

 - To work towards the ambitions of the PESSYP strategy incorporating the 5 hour offer.

 - To work within the School Sport Partnerships to support and develop existing competitions and infrastructure.

 - To work with a range of local partners to develop sustainable high quality opportunities within the School Sport Partnerships and beyond.

 - To work with the Hampshire School Sport Associations to continue to develop and implement frameworks written specifically for School Sport by their respective National Governing Bodies.

 - To work towards meeting the Youth Sport Trust target of raising the percentage of young people involved in inter-school competition by 5% year on year.

 - To create opportunities, and support athletes with disabilities incorporating the Playground to Podium initiative.

 - To offer activity programmes which include provision for talent development, incorporating the principles of Long Term Athlete Development.

 - To offer young people the opportunity to become, and benefit from being a young leader and a volunteer through a range of sporting activities.

Further information regarding the Aims, Vision and Key Work of the Hampshire Competition Managers will be available shortly.

A county competition plan was collated through consultation with all Competition Managers and the Partnership Development Managers. The county competition plan identifies the current levels of inter-school competition (as a percentage) per partnership, a comparison with the national average and the targets for the forth coming year. Each partnerships priorities around competition is also included as well as a break down of each sport and an estimation of the number of young people the Competition Managers feel can be engaged within each sport. A copy of the plan will be available to view shortly.

Our shared aim must be to create a wonderful competitive experience for all young people whilst supporting sport to identify and develop talented young performers.

The Competition Manager Teams will ensure that by 2010 England will be well on the way to possessing a high quality school sport national framework, implemented locally with opportunities for all, will have developed across a range of sports which will increase participation, underpin the development of talented and elite performers of school age and impact on the health of the nation's young people.

Contact details of the Hampshire Competition Manager Team can be found by clicking on 'Contacts' above.