FIND the next David Beckham... that's the goal in East Lancashire as more than £12million is pumped into school sport.
Teachers and specialist coaches are looking to capitalise on England's World Cup exploits in state-of-the-art venues which are coming on stream across the region.
Pupils are being given a massive sporting chance to be the stars of the future as lottery cash is directed at setting up brand-new sports halls and all-weather synthetic sports pitches.
And at St Bede's RC High School in Blackburn staff are busy preparing a bid to be one of the country's first specialist sports colleges.
Blackburn with Darwen Council recently received £2.6million from the New Opportunities Fund for PE in schools which will fund schemes aimed at raising sporting standards. It has also invested in the new School Sports Co-ordinator Programme in partnership with Sport England, and it is bidding to become a Sports Action Zone to boost deprived areas.
Coun Mahfooz Hussain, Education and Lifelong Learning Portfolio Holder, said: Rovers' Worthington Cup success and the World Cup have shown how sport can boost the community and give people a huge lift."
Among projects in the pipeline elsewhere are new sports halls at Norden High School, Rishton; Walton High, Nelson; Alder Grange High, Rawtenstall; Ivy Bank High, Burnley; Habergham High, Burnley; and Bowland High, Clitheroe.
The new sports colleges will be based on existing secondary schools and will have a special focus on physical education and sport. At St Bede's spokesperson Catherine Warland said: "We're looking to have a fitness suite and, eventually, a large, multi-purpose sports surface which the local community can use too."
Coun Hussain added: "I hope that by acting as we have done and striving to improve sporting standards we will lay the ground to produce future David Beckhams, Damien Duffs and Paula Radcliffes."
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