Our Journey

The story behind Superstars and how it all began

Louise Nicholson, the owner and managing director of Superstars, began her business as a mother of two. Her children, Danny, a two-year-old, and Lewis, a six-month-old, are now in their twenties. Before starting Superstars, Louise worked in the high-security Prison Service as a dog handler for eleven-years. She became the first female in the Prison Service to pass the Police accreditation for both general-purpose and drug dogs as well as being the manager of the dog section when their was only 13 women out of 300 dog handlers in the service. Louise also took very high-profile prisoners’ sports in the Cat A Unit at HMP Belmarsh, where she first learned to deliver sports sessions, mainly Volleyball. After having her second child Lewis and struggling with shift work with two young children, Louise decided to start her own business, and Superstars was born.

Growing Superstars

Superstars has been providing holiday camps, sport sessions, school work, and playschemes for two decades. Additionally, Superstars has began providing wraparound care, camping in schools, and football festivals. The owner, Louise Nicholson, began delivering multi-sport sessions to children aged 2-5 across the local area, she noticed that parents were commenting on the lack of childcare options and variability, with most clubs only offering football camps. This led Louise to launch her own multi-sport camp in Macclesfield in 2007, with the goal of offering all children the option to try a variety of sports – some of which they may have never heard before. The camp received an amazing response and each session catered to the children’s diverse interests, with Louise delivering 16 different sports over the week. This success led her to expand across Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Cheshire, and St Helens, offering a programme of multi-sports, football and dance. Superstars now delivers to 25 venues plus a playscheme. Louise experimented with various activities including specialist weeks and two day courses, particularly during the summer holidays. Louise realised that providing children with options and offering parents a one-stop shop was ideal for working parents or those seeking engaging activities. Lego has now been incorporated into daily sessions to nurture children’s imaginations. As a child, Louise’s Nana use to look after her in the school holidays and showed her how to knit, crochet, use a dolly bob as well as sew, and realised that many of these hobbies have died off over the years – Louise has now developed what she calls ‘Learning skills for life.’

Little Superstars

Little Superstars is our dedicated programme to under 5s, which we continue to deliver within nursery settings. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme included a strong focus on parent-and-child sessions, which were extremely popular. Unfortunately, following the pandemic and the introduction of government-funded childcare for children aged two and above, there was a significant reduction in the number of sessions delivered. We are now excited to relaunch Little Superstars with weekend football sessions for children aged 18 months and older. These sessions will combine football-based activities with fun and engaging warm-up games designed to support the development of hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination, balance, flexibility, and overall physically confidence. One of the most rewarding aspects of this programme is seeing its long-term impacts. Remarkably, some children who first joined Little Superstars as participants have since progressed to become coaches at Superstars, demonstrating the lasting positive influence the programme can have on young people’s development.

Evolving with the Times

Over the years, Superstars has continued to evolve, adapting to the changing needs of both schools and families. As rising travel and fuel costs have made traditional residential trips increasingly expensive, Superstars has developed an innovative and affordable alternative: the “Camping in School” programme.

This exciting initiative gives children the unique opportunity to enjoy the experience of camping overnight on their own school grounds in a safe, familiar, and supervised environment. The programme is designed to create lasting memories, encourage independence, build confidence, and strengthen friendships through fun outdoor activities and team experiences.

In addition, Superstars is proud to provide wraparound care, which provides safe, engaging, and reliable childcare beyond standard school hours. Wraparound care offers working parents greater flexibility and peace of mind, while giving children access to enriching activities in a secure and supportive setting.

Superstars always aims to provide high-quality, affordable childcare, and activity programmes for all schools and families across the North West.

Football Festivals 2027

In 2027, Superstars will host Football Festivals with Gullivers World providing accommodation and activities to keep the children entertained. These festivals are aimed at under 7’s to under 11’s. Louise, a parent herself, appreciates that Superstars needs to offer activities for families to ensure everyone is included in the weekend.

Children RISE with Superstars

We aim to foster Resilience, Independence, Socialable, and Enthusiasm in your children.

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Resilience

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Independence

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Socialable

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Enthusiasm