A TEENAGER who got her life back on track by setting up a girls' football team has been nominated for a national sports award.

Sinead Hoskins, 16, borrowed kit for the team and talked classmates into staying after school for coaching.

Her persistence paid off - because Sinead, from Westham, Weymouth, is now in the running for a Sky Living For Sport award.

The awards recognise outstanding achievement among schools and 11 to 16-year-olds who are at risk of opting out of school life.

Former Budmouth Technology College pupil Sinead said taking up football made her change her ways.

"I used to be quite naughty and was in detention a lot but I knuckled down completely through the football team," she said.The team's biggest triumph, she added, was beating the Year 10 boys 10-6 in a match.

The girls' football team was coached by Sinead's former tutor Richard Osment. He said: "Eighteen months ago Sinead was very different and was an intimidating girl. She wanted to find something she was interested in, so we started looking at sport as an alternative. Football turned out to be a big interest for her and when she was in Year 10 she asked me if I would coach her."

Sinead also took part in a Budmouth Technology College outreach scheme with Southill Community Centre, which has been shortlisted for an award at the same ceremony.

Budmouth pupils visited the centre to teach basketball and orienteering skills to adults with learning disabilities. "It made me understand people more and it changed me as a person," Sinead said.

Mr Osment and pupils from the outreach scheme will join Sinead for the awards ceremony in London on October 16. Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell will present prizes to schools of up to £4,000 and £1,000 worth of vouchers for individuals.

Sinead's dramatic turn-around has resulted in her continuing her studies at Weymouth College on a health and social care GNVQ course.

After that she plans to study midwifery at Bournemouth University.

She said: "My family are proud of me and thought they would never hear of me going on to study after school - and I always thought I was too naughty."