Force to help youngsters achieve hoop dreams following success of football initiative

Nottinghamshire Police is once again set to use the power of sport to positively engage with young people.

Hot on the heels of the successful KickOff@3 youth football initiative, the force is now planning to engage with hundreds more young people through basketball.

The aptly named TipOff@3 initiative will see some of the county’s best young basketball players compete against each other at Nottinghamshire Police HQ at the end of the summer.

This announcement comes just days after two football teams made up of Nottingham’s best grassroots players made it to the finals of the national KickOff@3 tournament in London.

Sergeant Jemma Connor-Iommi, who is leading the initiative on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is just the start of many, many projects we’ve got in the pipeline that will focus on using sports as a catalyst to positively engage with young people.

“We just want to do whatever we can to put our youngsters on big stages, to get them further opportunities and to help them grow.

“By opening up our own state-of-the-art basketball courts we’re hoping to really make the most of this opportunity to positively engage with more young people – particularly those who we did not engage in the football initiative.

“For us as a police force, it’s about allowing us to reach another market of young people that we might typically struggle to engage with and help them realise their potential while learning about the opportunities available to them.

“We’ve had some really good feedback from youth groups and young people about being involved in TipOff@3 so far, so I’m very hopeful that it’s going to be as good, if not even better than KickOff@3.”

Six teams of youngsters from Nottingham took to the football field to represent the city, with more than 250 youth players from across the country competing at the national tournament on Sunday (10 July).

And two teams from Nottingham made it right to the end of the competition, impressing professional scouts before narrowly losing 1-0 in the under 14 and 17 age group finals.

There was also individual success on the field, with one of the city's youngsters winning the player of the tournament award and another claiming the best goalkeeper award, both in the under 14 category.

The youngsters were given the chance to showcase their talents following the Nottingham KickOff@3 tournament in May, which focused on using the power of sport to help the police positively engage with young people while also opening doors for them.

A former international footballer herself, Sgt Connor-Iommi, said: “Our lads really put Nottinghamshire on the map with their talent and I’ve had so many calls outlining future opportunities for them because of how well they played.

“For us to get to the final and hold our own from somewhere as small as Nottingham, compared to the other areas competing, was just incredible and I’m so proud.

“The biggest message I want to get out is for scouts to come and see our inner-city grassroots footballers. There is some real raw talent here that has gone to London as huge underdogs and on such a big stage really proven just how special they are.”

Superintendent Kathryn Craner, of Nottinghamshire Police, added: “As a force, we’re exceptionally proud to have adopted the KickOff@3 initiative as a means of connecting with young people from our communities in an environment where they perhaps might feel more comfortable doing so.

“The power of sport can really build bridges between different groups and bring people together who might not otherwise regularly interact, so it has been fantastic to see so many young people really engage with this programme.

“Everyone who took part in the tournament really did Nottinghamshire proud on the field, while they will have also gained a lot off the pitch too through the information provided – which is even more important.

“We can’t wait to now build on all this good work and are really excited to see how much of a positive impact the upcoming TipOff@3 initiative will have on young people from our communities.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the project, whether that be a player, community group, or a volunteer, is asked to contact Sgt Connor-Iommi via email at jemma.connor-iommi@notts.police.uk

Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Violence Reduction Unit, who partially funded the event, would like to thank all the sponsors involved in the Nottingham KickOff@3 event:

• Nottingham City Homes
• Nottingham City Council
• Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's Violence Reduction Unit
• Nottingham College
• Royal Air Force
• Nottingham Forest
• Nottinghamshire Live
• Nottingham Industrial Cleaners
• World Game Changers
• The Skinny Food Company
• UFC Gym Nottingham