Sporting chance for German in Leeds

What do learning German and sport have in common? Quite a lot, according to Trinity and All Saints Comenius Centre in Leeds, one of a network of 16 modern languages resource centres.

Together with the Goethe-Institut in York, it has won Pounds 5,000 from the European Union to promote the learning of German through sport, Europe and the workplace. It is one of 32 projects in the United Kingdom to have bid successfully for EU money as part of the European Year of Lifelong Learning.

Next week is the official launch of the year at a conference in Edinburgh sponsored by The THES at which British ministers and Edith Cresson, European commissioner, will speak about the role played by schools, higher education and other sectors in lifelong learning.

The money awarded to the Leeds Comenius Centre is going to help fund a competition in which young people are asked to design a poster, create a video or computer disc, or, indeed, produce anything creatively in German on any two or more of the four themes - sport, German, Europe and work.

The backdrop to the competition is Euro '96, the European football championship, which is being held in Leeds in June and which the organisers are hoping will give Europe a high profile. Project co-ordinator Simon Green, a lecturer at Trinity and All Saints College, argues that sport transcends cultural and national barriers.

A total of Pounds 6 million has been allocated for the European Year of Lifelong Learning. Other projects which have won money are Airedale and Wharfedale College, Leeds, which is running a community education scheme with Tetley's Breweries, and Denman College which is setting up an adult learners' week award for members of the Women's Institute.