A SPECIAL 'Oscars' style event took place at Carrow Road today to celebrate 10 years of 'Playing for Success' in Norfolk.

The Playing for Success (PfS) scheme was the founding activity for the Club's Study Centre, aiming to help support under-achieving students to increase levels of attainment in literacy, numeracy and ICT, and to increase motivation, confidence, self-esteem and independent learning though working in an inspirational environment outside school.

In these 10 years over 4,000 children have benefited from visiting the centre, now based in the Aviva Community Stand, and the initiative has expanded throughout the county with four full status centres, an associate centre and other projects engaging young Norfolk people.

To mark this milestone some of these project participants were invited to the Football Club to present their work and celebrate their success. Club Community Ambassador Jeremy Goss was joined by current City midfielders Owain Tudur Jones and Matt Gill to meet youngsters and hand out certificates.

And Norwich-born Gill, who has some personal involvement in the scheme with his family-run Premier Racquets and Fitness Centre near Hunstanton housing one of the PfS centres, said: "The Grand Slam Centre over at Sedgeford, the tennis club that my brother and I own has been there a while now, not quite as long as the Norwich City one, but obviously we are very pleased to be involved in such an important educational product. 

"Having the tennis centre there we looked at ways of getting involved with education and that was a great opportunity for us and the children have an out-of-school environment where they can learn."

PLAYING FOR SUCCESS: Study Centre staff celebrate
decade of educational initiative with City players

Norfolk County Council's Head of Study Support and Playing for Success, Keith Grainger commented: "To mark ten years of Playing for Success (PfS) is a fantastic achievement and one which Norfolk Children's Services and all the partner clubs are justly proud of. The scheme has developed over the last decade to become a key element in the drive to raise attainments in young people and to celebrate this success at Norwich City, the first such venue in Norfolk, is particularly rewarding."

For more information on Playing for Success contact the Norwich City Study Centre on 01603 218757.

Photos courtesy of all-about-image photography