Twenty-One elite sportsmen and women have recently received an ‘Opportunity for Excellence’ Award from Broxbourne Borough Council.
The 'Opportunity for Excellence' award scheme aims to support elite sports performers competing at county level or higher, with a training support package to access Broxbourne Council’s Leisure Centre facilities free of charge throughout the year. The award scheme is open to sports performers of all ages who currently reside in Broxbourne. Athletes can choose to access swimming pools, gym equipment (ages 11+) and a variety of other facilities to boost their fitness/training requirements. This year there were 21 recipients of this award including:
- Nikita Setchell, a 23-year-old Canoeist with a lot of success at international level representing her country.
- Owen Lambert, an 18-year-old Judo player that has competed and medalled at British level and in European competitions as well.
- 17-year-old Hannah Gibson, a member of the England Roses Netball Academy. She recently represented England U17s in European Netball competition bringing home the gold medal.
- 82-year-old John Nugent, a life-long triathlete who competes at the World Championships in the 80-84 age group.
- Gracie Pearse, a 21-year-old professional footballer for Tottenham Hotspur Women’s FC, currently on loan to Charlton Athletic.
- Tasha Blunden a 16-year-old county rugby player, who also plays for the Saracens Academy.
- 15-year-old Mia Taruvinga, a Herts County 200m champion who has started competing in national competitions.
Councillor Dee Hart, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Health said: “There is a wealth of talent out there and Broxbourne Borough Council is committed to supporting our sports stars of the future through funding access to the fantastic facilities on offer in Broxbourne. I would urge our local athletes to apply for the same funding that supported GB track cycle star, Laura Kenny, to the finest moment of her sporting career, competing and winning multiple gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games.
The deadline for the next round of ‘Opportunity for Excellence' applications is 31 March 2025. For more information, or to complete an online application form, please visit www.broxbourne.gov.uk/OFE or contact Broxbourne Council's Sport Development officer at Amit.Chadha@broxbourne.gov.uk.