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Former rugby player focuses on a new goal

A FORMER Swinton rugby league player has swapped the scrum for the classroom as he sets out to educate the city’s youngsters in the ways of healthy living.

Chris Irwin, who used to play for Swinton Lions, has set up a new business, called Sporting Start, which goes into the city’s schools to teach kids about sport and keeping healthy.

Sporting Start was set up in September 2007, and works in various schools in Salford delivering PE as part of the curriculum and was the brainchild of Walkdenborn rugby star Chris.

Chris played for rugby league sides Wigan, Leigh, Oldham and Swinton Lions and wanted to teach kids about sport.

He said: "I retired from rugby in 2005 to become a PE teacher and worked at MANCAT college for two years before deciding to set up my own business in sports coaching. I just thought that children weren’t getting the right kind of sports coaching - that’s not a reflection on the teachers - it’s just that teachers in primary schools have their hands full actually teaching and it is difficult to get the required five hours of sport a week in."

Chris and his team currently go into schools in Boothstown and Walkden and are looking to expand to the Warrington area and teach the children PE as well as running after-school clubs.

The clubs cater for a range of sports, including gymnastics, football, rugby, multi-sport and performing arts and Chris has also given up his Saturday mornings to meet his goal of getting children fit.

Chris, 26, said: "We have been working with the children on Saturday mornings at Salford Sports Village where the children can develop their skills.

This programme will draw to a close in a few weeks where these children will attend the Salford Reds game against Widnes Vikings and perform a mini-skills session at half time before being awarded a certificate of achievement by one of the Reds players."

Chris, who was brought up in Walkden, also got the chance to revisit his old primary school James Brindley Community Primary.

He said: "I hadn’t been back in years and everything just looked so small.

"When I was there, I was convinced everything was massive, but now I teach in the hall, and it seems tiny in comparison!"