Footee 2010 – The UK’s most comprehensive “education through sport” website goes live

Core Facts:
Footee 2010, the first comprehensive online education through sport website aimed at primary school girls and boys, has just launched. It combines children’s love of games, social networking and competition in a rich world of content designed to boost their learning and National Curriculum achievements.

• Kids’ love of gaming and social networking used to improve learning
• Primary school teachers track pupils’ National Curriculum achievements
• Parents see children learning in fun, safe and measurable environment
• Key stage 2: Maths, English, Science, PE, Geography, History covered

Children, who register free on Footee 2010 can:
• Choose from over 100 games, each with a National Curriculum basis
• Play live online gaming against friends
• Design their own cartoon “avatar” and personalised Footee world
• Build and manage their own team in a fantasy league
• Chat online safely with friends approved by parents
• Explore the Footee 2010 town with its museum, gym, market, harbour etc
• Earn “balls” (points) to buy players and “cool stuff” by playing games
• Collect and swap virtual stickers (“Stix”) of football stars in their own album

The games are fun, compelling and designed to help them achieve their National Curriculum goals. The more games they play the better football stars they can buy and the more personalized their own Footee world becomes.

Footee 2010’s online world encourages kids to play more real sport and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Teachers, coaches and parents give Footee rewards so kids can win balls for walking to school or attending sports coaching sessions.

Parents
For parents, Footee 2010 is a safe, fun and educational environment that makes much better use of the average 17 hours* that the regulator Ofcom tells us children spend online social networking or gaming. (*Media Literacy Audit; May 2008)

Footee 2010 also lets parents track their child’s progress and shows them where their child needs to focus activity. Trials revealed how Footee enables parents to become more involved in their children’s learning – it’s particularly great for dads keen to share their knowledge of football team building and management!

Footee 2010 is a totally safe environment with parents approving their kids’ chat-mates. It’s also free from inappropriate marketing with no banner advertising or pop up windows. Any branding appears only in context.

Teachers
Footee 2010 provides free National Curriculum-based content including:
• Lesson plans
• Activity sheets
• Whiteboard activities and games
• Individual analysis

Footee is designed to help motivate all children in the classroom, not just football-mad boys less interested in schoolwork. It is inclusive, rich in content and in a format familiar and engaging for 7-11 year old boys and girls.

Footee 2010 is free to kids parents and teachers. There is a “Golden Gamer” subscription option open to those children wanting a higher degree of personalization, more games and to enter cup competitions for prizes. It is also helpful for those parents wanting a complete educational analysis and recommendations as to what games their child should play next to achieve the next academic level – all available for under £3/month.

From launch, Footee is offering free “Golden Gamer” status to all who register during the first month.

Sports and education business
Footee 2010 combines the latest online technology and hi-speed Internet networks with sport to reach 2 million 7-11 year olds in 26,000 primary schools throughout the UK.

Footee 2010 helps sports bodies maintain their interest in promoting stronger links between clubs and schools and in developing a better and more positive understanding of the game amongst youngsters.

Footee is in discussion with sports bodies, particularly the Football Association and UEFA about closer ties.

Quotes

Phil Clegg, Managing Director of MotivatEd, the company behind Footee 2010, says:

“Children’s use of the Internet and gaming at home is already more sophisticated than any comparable ICT product in the classroom. Footee 2010 changes that by engaging kids on their level with content they want to use again and again.

And every time kids use Footee, they’re completing wide-ranging curricular-based activity.

As the primary education curriculum is virtually standard worldwide, combining it with the global appeal of football offers huge growth potential.

We’re calling it Footee 2010 to coincide with the World Cup next year. We’re aiming for 1 million users by then.”

Tim Knight, parent participating in Footee 2010 pre-launch trial said:

“Footee complements what my son does at school and it’s great to see him motivated to use the Internet for more than Facebook and games.”

Melissa Remus Elliot, Head Teacher at Heathside School, London said:

‘The games cover a wide range of numeracy and literacy topics straight from the Frameworks in a very useful real-world context.’

Donna McIvor, National Football Development Manager (Education) at The Football Association said:

“We really like what Footee 2010 does to encourage grassroots interest in football combined with education.”

Boilerplate Statements:
Note to Editors
Go to www.footee.com and click the “What’s it all about” for a quick tutorial on Footee 2010.

MotivatEd Limited
MotivatEd is the UK’s leading developer of e-learning that combines the need to hit specific learning objectives and engage and motivate the largest possible audience. Founded in 2002 by Phil Clegg, the e-learning resources MotivatEd has developed have engaged and motivated literally millions of users worldwide to achieve a wide variety of learning objectives from the legalities of a Premiership footballer’s contract to what polar bears eat for breakfast.
www.motivated.ltd.uk

Client Contact

Phil Clegg

Managing Director

MotivatEd

+44(0)1223 264861

+44(0)7768 373724

Agency Contact

Will Robson

Robson Walker Ltd

+44(0)7834 199314