Gabby's Homecoming hailed a 'great success'
Organisers of this year's Sport Leeds Seminar have hailed the event featuring television star Gabby Logan as a 'great success.
The Leeds-born BBC Sport presenter was the guest speaker at the sell-out event held this week at the John Charles Centre for Sport.
Organised by Sport Leeds - the strategic partnership tasked with developing sport and active recreation in Leeds - the event saw Gabby address a packed audience of sport development professionals, teachers, volunteers, administrators, coaches and members of the public with an active interest in sport.
In her speech Gabby explained how her sporting career developed, from her childhood days in Leeds training as a rhythmic gymnast to her appearance in the Commonwealth Games in 1990 and subsequent move into the media with Sky Sports, ITV Sport and now the BBC.
During the speech Gabby also discussed her concerns over current figures on child obesity and the vital role coaches and role models can play in encouraging young people to get involved and remain involved in sport.
Member of the Sport Leeds board and compere for the evening Mel Welch said:
"Gabby was a fantastic guest speaker, afterwards you could sense a real buzz as everyone was talking about how great her speech had been. Coming from Leeds as Gabby does it was great to hear her experiences of being involved in sport in the city as she grew up, and the thing that clearly came across is the competitive spirit and desire to excel that she has had from such an early age and continues to drive her in her media career.
"It was also interesting to hear what she thinks about some of the real issues we face in society today, and how sport can help to combat those problems and improve people's lives. Her speech set the tone for the whole night, with the workshops that followed very upbeat and lively, so it was a great success and we are very grateful to Gabby for being such a wonderful guest."
This year's seminar was entitled 'Creating Sporting Pathways' and was the fifth such annual event held in Leeds.
The event also included a range of workshops focusing on long-term athlete development, stronger partnerships between schools and sports clubs, sport science, the impact of the London 2012 Olympics and effective sports marketing.
Also on show were the Super League and World Club Challenge trophies won by Leeds Rhinos rugby league club.
This year's event was sponsored by Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Sport, South Leeds and Hunslet Cars and An Agency Called England.
Further information on the Sport Leeds Seminar is available on the website at www.sportleeds.com