Stromsoy believes in the power of sport

Colin Stromsoy is well known in North East sporting circles having dedicated his life to sport, in both a personal and professional capacity, across our region.

Following a highly successful tenure as Northumbria University’s Director of Sport, during which he oversaw the university’s emergence as one of the UK’s top universities for sport, he joined innovative community sport organisation GiveToLocal.

In his role as Director of Strategic Partnerships, Colin’s focus has been to ensure GiveToLocal aligns its services with National Governing Bodies’ strategic and operational plans for their sports.

GiveToLocal is already having a positive impact on clubs up and down the country and it was the potential to make a lasting difference to community sport that resonated with Colin from the outset.

“The big motivation for me here at GiveToLocal is the opportunity to help grassroots clubs really increase their funding whilst working in partnership with other key organisations, particularly the appropriate NGB,” said Colin.

“At GiveToLocal, our team is privileged to work with clubs to help them deliver better outcomes for players, coaches and the volunteers who are, themselves, totally committed to creating a better future for community sport.

“At this moment in time, communities across the country are suffering due to COVID-19 and the potential impact it could have upon grassroots sport is very serious.

“Our local communities, of which sport clubs are a vital part, play a key role in all of our lives and through working collectively we can ensure that they rebound when we do get through this very difficult period.

“That’s why we’re eager to help as many clubs and local communities as possible to access our services and secure a level of sustainable funding through GiveToLocal.”

Football is one of Colin’s true passions and, in addition to developing partnerships at GiveToLocal, he is Head Coach at Northern Football League side Newton Aycliffe.

Colin holds one of the most prestigious coaching licenses in the professional game, the UEFA A-Licence, and his love for coaching is fuelled by a desire to have a positive impact upon people.

“My love of coaching comes from working with players to help them achieve their potential,” said Colin.

“Seeing them improve and then watching them take those improvements into games and watching them succeed is incredibly fulfilling.

“As a coach, I always try to create an environment where it’s safe for players to make mistakes and be able to learn from them. I take the same approach in life generally.”

As far as Colin is concerned sport, like education, has the power to change lives.

“I have dedicated my life to sport because I enjoy it,” said Colin.

“However, the primary reason is because I can’t think of anything that unifies and has such a capacity for positive good than sport.

“It can teach people discipline, focus and can also be a leveller.

“In the majority of cases, sports clubs aren’t interested in your background, your race, your religion, your gender, your sexual orientation or how much money you’ve got.

“Sport is a genuine meritocracy and it often, although not always, sets a great example for society in general. Thankfully it normally rewards the person that can run the fastest, who has trained the hardest and who has conducted themselves the most considerately or professionally.”

Colin hopes that he brings this approach into his work at GiveToLocal and, together with his team, he has secured agreements with a number of key sporting organisations.

Prior to GiveToLocal’s move into nine additional sports, the organisation’s primary focus was on grassroots football.

“Although we’re helping nine additional sports now, the initial focus was on establishing ourselves as key players in grassroots football,” added Colin.

“As a result we have already partnered with county Football Associations across the UK – as far apart as from Northumberland to Somerset.

“This is a really exciting time for my team as we progress discussions with national organisations in many of the other sports we now work with.

“Ensuring we work collaboratively and in partnership is a critical part of our approach.

“My career has taught me that when the sport sector works this way then the impact we can have can be enormous.

“We are determined to ensure that this approach helps GiveToLocal maximise the benefits we can have for community sport clubs up and down the country.”

To find out more about GiveToLocal visit www.givetolocal.com