Sport Newfoundland and Labrador will hold its annual general meeting on Friday and Saturday, October 27 and 28, 2006 at the Holiday Inn St. John�s. This year�s meeting will get underway 12:00 noon Friday with a luncheon followed by a series of speakers and presenters.

One of the highlights of this year�s meeting will be the keynote address, by the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, on the future of sport in Newfoundland and Labrador. Minister Hedderson is scheduled to address the meeting at 12:30 p.m. following the luncheon.

At 1:15 p.m., special guest Istvan Balyi will do a presentation on the "Long Term Athlete Development Model". Since 1994, Balyi has been the resident sport scientist of the National Coaching Institute at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. He has also worked with several Canadian national teams as their high performance advisor and he has also been a planning and periodization consultant for a number of major games. Balyi is a world renowned coaching educator and his series on Long-term Athlete Development and periodization have been published in Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Balyi is currently the Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD) advisor for sportscoachUK (National Coaching Foundation), sportscotland, The Sports Council for Wales, and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. He is a member Sport Canada�s expert advisory group of Long-term Athlete Development and presently works with eleven Canadian sports to develop LTAD models, including Athletics Canada, Basketball Canada, CanoeKayak Canada, Curling Canada, Field Hockey Canada, Gymnastics Canada, Karate Canada, Rowing Canada, Rugby Canada and Speed Skating Canada.

Sport Newfoundland and Labrador President., Tom Godden of St. John�s, said "We are quite privileged to have Istvan Balyi in Newfoundland and Labrador to present on the Long Term Athlete Development Model. Istvan has done some outstanding work and is recognized internationally for his efforts. I�d encourage people to consider attending this seminar to hear first hand from a leading expert on the future of athlete development in Canada."

At 2:30 p.m., Rod Snow, Project Manager for the new Provincial Training Center, will provide the meeting delegates with an overview of the current status of the Provincial Training Center.

At 3:00 p.m., Clayton Welsh, Sport Consultant with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation will speak on the new National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Welsh will provide an overview on how the NCCP has changed and what current coaches and new coaches will need to know about the program.

At 3:30 p.m., Jim Tee, Director of the Recreation and Sport Services Division with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, will address the meeting with an update on the programs and services currently being offered by his department to the sport community. The Recreation and Sport Services Division encourages healthy lifestyles, supports voluntarism and community development, and promotes excellence and social development of young people through sport.

Saturday�s meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. with one of the business portions of the conference. At 9:30 a.m., Dave Noftall, Manager of Event Tourism with Destination St. John�s, will do a presentation on the assistance available to local groups who are planning on hosting a major sport event. Destination St. John�s strives to attract new events and enhance existing ones not only to the urban region of our destination, but also to the rural areas of Eastern Newfoundland. Working with local organizations, Destination St. John�s will provide financial support, human resources and expertise where the event has a reasonable Return on Investment (ROI).

At 10:00 a.m., President Tom Godden will do a presentation on Sport Newfoundland and Labrador�s new Marketing Strategy. Sport Newfoundland and Labrador�s mandate is to increase participation in sport and promote healthy, active lifestyles.

At 11:00 a.m., Sport Newfoundland and Labrador�s KidSport Coordinator Jill Andrews will provide insight into the KidSport program currently taking place in Newfoundland and Labrador. KidSport is a children�s charity that provides sporting grants to kids who cannot afford to participate otherwise. Through KidSport, kids have the opportunity to participate in a sustained sporting experience that will foster their overall development.

Following the 12:00 noon luncheon, the final business portion of the meeting will get underway at 1:00 p.m.

For information on Sport Newfoundland and Labrador�s 2006 Annual General Meeting you can go to www.sportnl.ca or call the provincial office at telephone number (709) 576-4932.

Contact:
Troy Croft
709-576-4932
troy@sportnf.com