The NFA in partnership with the Environment Agency are please to announce that together they will be organising this years National Angling Championship for Schools which will take place at the Glebe Fisheries in Leicestershire on Friday 12th September.

The Championship will be open to teams of five with all anglers needing to be under 16 on 1st September. The format of the competition will be a one off match hosted very kindly by Roy Marlow of The Glebe Fishery in Leicestershire. For the first year up to 20 teams can compete and will each receive free entry into the championships. However, the aim is to grow the competition in later years and build the Championship into a network of regional qualifiers.

Any school interested in taking part in this years event or wanting to obtain further details should contact the NFA’s Angling Education Officer Brian Hull e-mail hullangler@yahoo.co.uk or by phone on 01509 502970. Closing date for entries is September 1st 2008.

The main objective for everyone involved is to raise people’s awareness and to promote angling as an exciting and vibrant sport to young people, schools, the Youth Sports Trust and society as a whole. The partnership will help provide a competitive element to a growing number of schools who have angling build into their timetable thanks to the NFA’s education programme ‘An Introduction to Angling & the Environment’. Young people find the competitive side of sport very attractive and it will help increase the level of activity and participation necessary to develop the skills to excel in a competitive fishing environment.

Roy Marlow of Mallory Park Fisheries, comments “I have been involved for several years in the Schools National Championship and am just pleased to be able to put something back into the sport. We all need to provide an incentive for youngsters to go fishing as they are hugely important for the industry, being the future customers for the trade.”

Richard Wightman, Angling Participation Manager ‘The Environment Agency doesn’t normally become involved in schools and education, it’s not our role, but we’re pleased to have supported the Championship as a way of raising angling’s positive profile among teachers and parents’.

The Schools National Championship is the longest running sponsored angling competition with tackle giant Shakespeare once again on board to offer prizes to the participants. XYZ from Shakespeare comments xyz

Steve Pinnock, Organiser of the Championship since 1984 comments, “The involvement of the NFA will be fantastic for schools championship. The competition needs the involvement of a body like the NFA if it is to continue to thrive and grow as an event.”