Greater London Enterprise Awards 2020

16 | Greater London Awards 2020 Oct20293 Best Olympic Athlete Development NPO 2020 Established in 2010, Gmax Trackstars Athletics Academy is an athletics development not-for-profit solutions centred organisation. Following the firm’s well-deserved success in the Greater London Enterprise Awards, we got in touch with its Founder Mark Lancaster to find out more this well-accomplished organisation. From the outset the aim of Gmax Trackstars Athletics Academy has been to create provision for young people to experience enriching after-school, summer camp and youth sports development in a safe environment through mentoring, education, physical and creative athletics activities. To start, Mark gives us a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into some of its values. “Gmax Trackstars Athletics Academy seeks to meet the needs of our diverse community of 20th century club members. Both male and female, people of all ages and abilities benefit from our programmes across all athletics disciplines. Whether its competitive success, athletics performance, recreational running, or just looking to keep yourself fit while making new friends, we seek to help members achieve their goals. In youth sports the art of winning and competing is always the narrative. Similarly, we think along those lines believing it is a golden opportunity to teach character that will impact young athletes for life. “Naturally, our innovative unique model makes athletics development visible by operating in High Street premises alongside the destructive and unhealthy fast-food takeaways young people frequently visit. By making our services available as a retail option, we help to divert them and offer sports as a choice. Through sport, our model promotes integration which leads to acceleration of excellence in sport and competition. With direct efforts to improve opportunities, engage, inspire, and involve young athletes of all abilities and backgrounds, the journey from playground to podium will detract participants away from current gang & knife youth culture within communities. By helping develop skills that will be transferable to any job in the future, we can assist young people in making the transition from school into the workplace. Regardless of ethnicity, economic status, or ability, if a child wants to play, Gmax will find a way for that happen.” In the Greater London region, there are several organisations who are committed to helping young people avoid knife and gang culture. However, as Mark goes on to explain, in its attempt to offer a unique selling point the firm do not limit themselves to a specific geographical area. “As a unique and scalable community sports brand, Gmax Trackstars Athletics Academy provide a direct route for young people from all locations and backgrounds to acquire the fundamentals of athletics excellence, sportsmanship, and teamwork by creating an inspiring mix of social and athletic opportunities and in an inclusive learning-friendly environment. The community space creates social bonding, offering opportunities where the participants can integrate with professional customers and volunteers from society who can mentor and advise them through experience. “Naturally, our aim is to stimulate a social movement as a recovery programme to overcome the inherent challenges for young people to avoid the current impact of knife and gang culture, obesity, and inactivity through attraction to technology. With the Gmax programme all the necessary macro-social changes are achieved, helping to achieve a ‘desistance-informed’ future. Through sport and technology, we have established a unique alternative to accessing sport by putting sports on the High Street and making it visible, accessible, and optional as a product/brand alongside unhealthy fast-food outlets.” The London 2012 Olympics created a sporting legacy with lots of interest generated in sport. However, currently there are a number of sporting initiatives in place which attempted to capitalise on the interest but lack the funding as From the outset the aim of Gmax Trackstars Athletics Academy has been to create provision for young people to experience enriching after-school, summer camp and youth sports development in a safe environment through mentoring, education, physical and creative athletics activities.