TASS scheme celebrates 15th anniversary with microsite
June 12, 2019 | by Matt Halfpenny
The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) – which has supported a number of England Boxing boxers down the years, including Olympic Youth champion Karol Itauma – is today celebrating its 15th anniversary by launching a new online microsite.
The Sport England-funded partnership between talented athletes, educational institutions and national governing bodies help those aged 16-plus in education get the very best from their sporting and academic careers without having to choose between the two.
Since 2004, TASS has helped more than 6,000 emerging athletes from 70 sports and through its partnership with 33 education institutions across the country, the scheme has also worked alongside over 1,000 expert practitioners.
The bespoke microsite brings to life the unique partnership between each of the parties who work to make the scheme a success.
Fifteen TASS athletes past and present provide an insight into their own journeys and reveal the challenges and rewards that pursuing a dual career can bring.
Among them is Ellie Simmonds, who is best known for being a five-time Paralympic champion and fourteen-time world champion, but the swimmer was once a recipient of a ‘TASS 2012 Award’ when she was just 12 years old.
This special package of support was designed to help rising stars who were deemed to have the potential to compete at the London 2012 Games.
The Paralympic legend explained: “Receiving the TASS award was perfect for me as I was only young and receiving very little financial help, but on the brink of the big step forward to international level. Combining education and training was a difficult balance, but one that was very important.
“I am most proud of getting to highest level my sport and repaying all the belief from those like TASS that helped and supported me along the road. Achieving this with like-minded people both in education and sport has kept the right balance in my life.”
The site also features case studies with a selection of national governing bodies of sport, education institutions and practitioners from each of five core support services that are delivered to TASS athletes.
Elsewhere, a series of timeline pages chronicle the history of the scheme, from its launch at 10 Downing Street with support from Sport England and SportsAid, to cheering on TASS athletes at many major sporting events.
Visit the TASS 15th anniversary microsite or join the conversation on social media using #TASS15.
