Willand weightlifting club receives Council funding to start academy

The grant will allow girls in school years 7 and 8 to attend twice-weekly training sessions for free for 6 weeks. If the girls attend regularly and enjoy the training, they can attend for an additional 6 weeks for free.

Excelsior Athletic Development Club, based in Willand, has received funding from Devon County Council to start a weightlifting academy for girls. 

The grant will allow girls in school years 7 and 8 to attend twice-weekly training sessions for free for 6 weeks. If the girls attend regularly and enjoy the training, they can attend for an additional 6 weeks for free.

Head Coach James Marshall is working with the p.e. Departments at both Cullompton Community College and Uffculme School to encourage young girls to try out for the academy on Saturday 13^th December in Willand.

Weightlifting is one of the fastest growing sports for women in the country. It has also recently been added to the school games syllabus. Resistance training is proven to improve mental as well as physical health, with improved body composition, flexibility and speed part of the benefits.  

Unfortunately, cost is a major barrier to participation in all sports: transport, fees, equipment and membership all add up.

This funding allows Excelsior ADC to run the sessions for free. 

"We are giving the girls the chance to train and, if they feel like competing, we will pay for their British Weightlifting membership fee and entry to their first competition. If they don't feel like competing, they will all have benefitted from 24 supervised exercise sessions: enough to make physical and behavioural changes." Marshall said.

Devon CC said that the reason the funding application was successful was because the club was 'breaking stereotypes' and 'involving the community.'

Any parents/ carers who would like to find out more information and how to attend the trial, can email Coach Marshall at excelsiorathletic@gmail.com