School Games Summer Festival 2023

The 2023 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent School Games Summer Festival, held last week, was a resounding success that left us filled with pride and admiration for the exceptional dedication and remarkable accomplishments of every participating young individual.

Bringing together over 1,000 talented young individuals from across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Keele University hosted our annual festival on Thursday 22nd June 2023, where these young athletes passionately represented their respective schools.

The day saw a variety of sports take place such as cross country and rugby, as well as Sport4All; an inclusive festival featuring a mix of activities like boccia and archery.

We also ran a Mini Festival of taster sessions for students to try out. Just some of the activities young people could give a go were street dance, basketball and tennis.

These sessions allowed students to try activities they may have not tried before, or ones they hadn’t considered trying in the past. They were delivered in a fun and inclusive way, making the sports as welcoming and inspiring as possible.

The School Games Summer Festival 2023 was our second year back after returning last year following a 2-year break due to COVID. We loved the atmosphere of the day; the young people were excited to represent their area, and their passion and enthusiasm really made the event feel special.

We also had some amazing volunteers who helped make sure the day went smoothly. Students from Stoke College helped as general volunteers, and Ormiston Horizon helped as media volunteers.

Our Chief Executive, Carly Jones, says:

“It was a great privilege to see so many young people take part in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent School Games last week.

Our Summer Festival is a fantastic opportunity to provide inclusive, inspiring opportunities to young people across the county, enabling them to have a positive experience with getting active.

I was delighted to see the enthusiasm and dedication from the young people; whether that be when partaking in the competitions, or trying out at taster session at our Mini Festival.”

Thank you to everyone who made it happen; SGOs, sport co-ordinators, teachers, staff, volunteers, our funders. And of course, the amazing young athletes who represented their area!