Former Great Britain skipper and St Helens loose forward Paul Sculthorpe officially launched two major Keighley Cougar community programmes at Cougar Park on Monday.

Scully’s presence marked the start of two ‘Street Academy’ initiatives, one in partnership with Bradford Council’s ‘Building Capacity through Cohesion and Inclusion in the Community’ programme and the other with Incommunities, the area’s biggest provider of social housing.

The Bradford Council partnership will see a Street Academy, a mixture of children’s games with rugby league core skills worked into them, delivered at various parks throughout Keighley to the district’s Asian community.

Meanwhile the Street Academies backed by Incommunities will be delivered on several estates in Keighley as well as parts of the neighbouring districts of Bingley, Denholme and Ilkley. It will be run in conjunction with the housing group’s trust loyalty card which offers tenants great savings and discounts at shops and local attractions.

Besides Sculthorpe, the Rugby League community was represented at the launch by RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood, Keighley Cougars’ Head Coach Barry Eaton and Cougars’ skipper James Feather.

Incommunities Chairman and Bradford Council’s Portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, Councillor Martin Smith was joined at the launch by Zabair Rasul, Director of Incommunities - aire-wharfe office and Gerald Goldborough Chairman of Incommunities’ aire-wharfe local management trust.

Neil Spencer, chairman of Keighley Cougars, spoke of the importance to Cougars of such initiatives and establishing partnerships.

He said: “We believe that we are part of the town’s community and we’re delighted to have established partnerships with both Bradford Council and Incommunities so that we can undertake such exciting projects as the ‘Street Academies’.

“Besides helping entertain the children of all the areas concerned there is always the chance that we might unearth a Cougar star of the future”.

Zabair Rasul, Director of Incommunities - aire-wharfe office said: “We’re really looking forward to working with the Keighley Cougars and bringing the Rugby League experience to young people across our estates and neighbourhoods. It is part of our commitment to build closer links with young people across the aire-wharfe area and give them a sporting chance.”

The Incommunities backed Street Academies will start at Brackenbank Community Centre in Keighley on May 8 and it will end with a day-long Festival at CougarPark on June 27.

The Bradford Council partnership’s Street Academies will start on May 6 at Victoria Park, Keighley and it will end with a Festival at CougarPark on May 30.

Good to see the development of the ALL inclusive game.

It's good that there are no barriers to prevent anyone playing the game no matter what.

Onwards and upwards.

This kind of initiative is what the game was crying out for.