Sports education on the island has moved to a new level following an agreement signed this week between Loughborough College and the Best Centre for sporting excellence in Ses Salinas.
The track record of Loughborough in Leicestershire speaks for itself; if it was a nation it would be one of leading medal winners at the Commonwealth Games. The Best Centre was co-founded by James Parrack and Matthew O’Connor who grew up in local swimming clubs and both went on to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. So in some ways it is a match made in heaven and the two centres will soon be offering courses in swimming, tennis, trialthon and football all under the Loughborough umbrella. As James Parrack explained it will mean that students can enjoy a sporting education on the island in almost perfect weather conditions and with the best of education offered by Loughborough and Best.
“Loughborough students will be able to enjoy a first class education at Best and at the same time meet leading sports people who come to our facilities to train,” said James Parrack who said that this was just the start of the partnership and it could lead to other non-related sports courses.
Initially, they are aiming for between 20 and 30 students who will be able to study at Ses Salinas from September alongside staff from Loughborough either boarding at the Best Centre´s accommodation wing or studying online and travelling to the centre on an intermittent basis.
In some ways it is the dawn of a new era with students, between the age of 16 and 18, being offered a first rate sports education which could lead them to sporting glory at top international events or a role in the sporting world from being a PE teacher to other sporting related professions.
Loughborough College is excited at this new venture which will give them the possibility of sending students abroad to study in a different environment in perfect weather conditions. For Best it a step towards bigger things which will also help put Majorca on the map as a place of sporting excellence.
James Parrack said that sports education was growing fast and it was not only excellence on the track, field or pool which was attracting students. “There are many different areas in sports which can be explored from working as a coach to being a sports teacher,” he said.
This latest venture is a new step forward for Majorca which apart from Best also has the Rafa Nadal tennis academy and a whole string of international schools and of course Palma Sixth Form College. James said that they had met with representatives of the international schools and colleges and discussed the possibility of working together so that students could get a first rate education not only in sports but the more traditional subjects as well.
