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About 500 children across the Western Bay of Plenty are taking part in the 2016 Future Champions 3 day programme, which finishes up today.

Community coaching advisor Tom Morrison has been involved with or playing sport for most of his life, and says Future Champions gives children from school years 5-8 the opportunity to hone their sporting talents.

Luke Spargo, 10, from Greenpark School. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

'[We want to] advance them, to give them an edge going forwards, realise they have a sporting dream themselves.

'It's to help them realise that dream one day and what they need to do to realise that dream.”

Around 900 children apply to be a part of the programme, Tom says, and after a selection process 500 children come through to play.

Training in traditional sports, the children choose which sport they would like to improve in for the day, whether it's athletics, basketball, rugby and rugby league, cricket, football, netball, hockey, squash, tennis, volley ball, or water polo.

'We pretty much have 12 different sports that will take them through more elite training,” says Tom.

'The whole idea is to try and advance some of our more advanced kids at this age level.”

The programme is run annually, and Tom says it's in its 'eighth or ninth year”.

Famous faces this year have included ex New Zealand basketball coach Byron Vaetoe, and the rugby Sevens team.

The programme is to encourage children who may be more gifted in sports, and to let them play at a semi-competitive level.

'For most of the kids it is competitive for them,” says Tom. 'I think you find that most of the sport aimed at this age level is all about participation, this is the one thing that we do that is more aimed at trying to advance kids.

'It is definitely identifying the kids that are, at this age level, slightly stronger, or that definitely show potential at this age level.”

Children also learned about nutrition and hydration, says Tom.