Career Turnaround for Mum of Two with a Passion for Sport - 20th Jun 2011
A mum-of-two has hung up the keys of her vehicle leasing job after more than a decade to take on a new challenge – to make sport her business in a bid to inspire today’s children with a passion for fitness.
Raakhee Patel, 33, made the break to turn her passion for sport into a career and take on her own business under the wing of the UK’s biggest coaching company, Premier Sport - and is now offering free sports taster sessions to schools across the region.
Premier Sport is dedicated to developing innovative sports coaching which will help children to live a healthy, fit life, and successfully delivers coaching to more than 150,000 children every week.
The company is backed by big-named sporting ambassadors including rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio, Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew and former rugby league champion Paul Sculthorpe.
Raakhee, from Bushey Heath in Hertfordshire, who has two young sons Rio, aged four, and Zico, aged two, will be working across the Bushey, Watford, Rickhamsworth, Stanmore and Harrow areas, offering PE coaching both in and out of school hours as well as holiday camps, breakfast, lunch and after school clubs with her team of coaches in up to 21 different sports under the Premier Sport umbrella.
Raakhee is already a qualified personal trainer and has spent time volunteering with young children, but the move to set up her own business with Premier represents a huge career change and she has already undergone intensive coaching training in athletics, basketball, cricket, gymnastics and racket sports.
“I believe sport is the best thing for building a child’s self esteem and confidence, and I want to follow my passion and give as many children as possible the opportunity to play sport coached at very high standards,” said Raakhee.
“I want to run my own business doing something I am passionate about. Premier Sport is the leader in the field with extremely high standards and that is why I am delighted to be becoming part of the team.”
Raakhee will be delivering free sports sessions at Bushey Manor Junior, Sacred Heart Primary, and Longwood School in Bushey, as well as Hartsbourne Primary in Bushey Heath, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth Park and Chenies School in Rickmansworth, Chater Infants and Cherry Tree Primary in Watford, Whitefriars Middle in Harrow and St Margarets and Peterborough School in Stanmore.