The London-based athletics organization has partnered with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to host the event at Crystal Palace.
The Paris Olympics may be over, but the next generation of kids is already being inspired.
GMAX Trackstars, founded by sprints and hurdles coach Mark Lancaster, launched the Community Athletics Festival, which aims to discover the power of sport for young people.
The first edition of the festival took place last Monday (August 19) and saw just under 100 teenagers involved in everything from bonding activities to sprints around Crystal Palace.
The location was deliberately chosen due to Crystal Palace’s inclusive learning environment;
The young athletes ran on the same track that Usain Bolt once raced on and you quickly got a sense of the adrenaline, energy and excitement on display.
Lancaster, a former civil engineer, wants to help develop the next generation of athletes, coaches and well-rounded individuals.
Mark Lancaster and his team at GMAX Trackstars (GMAX)
“I think a lot of kids were inspired by the Olympics,” he says AW:. “Like London 2012, you had a good time with the whole nation with Paris 2024, but we want to capture it in the public eye. We saw showboats at the festival and I love it. Athletics is a sport that gives you the opportunity to show yourself off.
“Kids will remember this for the rest of their lives. Crystal Palace hasn’t done anything on this scale in the grassroots for a while and it’s an amazing place. You know, I actually saw Carl Lewis run here once. Just look at this place, it’s the spiritual home of athletics. Its use should be maximized and we will do our best to expand on the past and bring it back.
GMAX Trackstars partnered with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to organize the festival, with both organizations emphasizing the positive impact the community has on society.
A charity group, GMAX Trackstars has a unique funding model, with a vibrant yoga studio and café providing revenue that goes towards funding coaches, sessions and school visits, and the partnership with the Ferdinand Foundation will only help in the future.
Community Athletics Festival (GMAX Trackstars)
“We’re changing and growing, and now that we’ve reached an agreement with Rio Ferdinand, I think we can turn it into some really great things,” adds Lancaster. “It’s unique and I can’t thank Rio enough for coming in and saying ‘look we have an opportunity to work with young people.’
“Athletics is an underutilized sport in terms of participation and we can make it great again. Rio is a world name. He is recognized and gives it to us. He’s helping us put athletics back on the map.”
Members of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation attended the festival and believe that there is also a strong connection between athletics and football.
Donald Ford, the foundation’s director of operations, believes such partnerships can benefit athletics in the long run.
Young athletes at Crystal Palace (GMAX Trackstars)
“I think fundamentally what we’re talking about is creating opportunities for young people,” he says. “With GMAX Trackstars, in Mark (Lancaster) you have someone who genuinely cares and makes things happen. We wanted to support him on his way to help him realize his goals.
“Certainly more can happen for the grassroots community with a focus on being inspired by athletics. You have the perfect facility in Crystal Palace, which also has such a rich history.
“We just hope the kids who were involved will remember the day and next time we do this community festival they can bring their friends and family down.
“A lot of these kids probably come from a football background and I think the sport has a little bit of an affinity for athletics. They will play athletics at school, but then they quit. That’s where football has been capitalised, but athletics is so important for the next generation.”
Learn more about GMAX Trackstars here
Learn more about the Rio Ferdinand Foundation here
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