Rio Olympics: Sporty celebration for Team GB in Shropshire
It has been the most successful away Olympics Britain has ever experienced.
Now an event to honour the outstanding success of Team GB will be held in Shropshire.
The Shrewsbury Club will play its part in the I Am Team GB celebrations next Saturday. It is hoped it will inspire a new generation of Olympians by giving taster sessions for a range of sports.
As an added incentive, there will be 500 pairs of free tickets for Shrewsbury Town's home match against Gillingham available to people taking part.
Qualified coaches will be on hand to help families try tennis, football, rugby and cricket at the venue in Sundorne Road from 9.30am.
The free event is part of a co-ordinated effort to bring on new talent.
I am Team GB is backed by The National Lottery, which funds many of the British athletes that have competed at the Olympics in Brazil.
This year, 1,300 British competitors have been supported by the National Lottery with elite athletes in sports such as swimming, rowing and track and field athletics receiving the lion's share of the grants. Medal-winning athletes are eligible up to £28,000 from the National Lottery.
That kind of funding has seen Britain's gold medal tally rise from a single gold in 1996 to more than 20 in Rio – plus a fighting chance for second place in the medal table behind America but ahead of China.
The event in Shrewsbury is part of a national series of events aimed at taking advantage of the momentum gained at Rio.
Alvin Ward, general manager of The Shrewsbury Club, said: "There will be football and tennis camps, rugby and cricket too, so anybody and everybody can come here and join in an activity, either on the tennis courts or outside on our sports field.
"We will also have our fun Tennis Factory equipment at the Greenhous Meadow family zone ahead of the Gillingham game, so people can also have a go there.
"This event is a great way to celebrate all that's great about the Olympics and it ties in nicely as it's between the Olympics finishing and the Paralympics starting, so it's a perfect opportunity for people who have been inspired by the Olympics to come along and give sport a try."
To register in advance to take part in the fun sporting activities and claim the free Greenhous Meadow tickets, visit www.theshrewsburyclub.co.uk/iamteamgb
