Sporting heroes from the worlds of football, cricket, tennis and rugby launched a new sporting centre of excellence during an event at a Lichfield village.

Tennis ace Pat Cash, cricketer Darren Gough and ex-England and Liverpool football star John Barnes were among the special guests at a special event in Longdon Green on the outskirts of Lichfield yesterday.

Longdon Hall hosted the launch of international development company Unico’s Sporting Ambassadors programme. Cash and co are among a host of athletes backing the company’s Tafedna Bay development in Morocco.

This resort will incorporate academies devoted to tennis, cricket, football, athletics, rugby union and rugby league.

The company has signed up a high-profile ambassador to represent each one, including Pat Cash, Darren Gough and John Barnes as well as rugby union’s Martin Corry one of England’s winning World Cup team, rugby league player Martin Offiah who scored 501 tries in England and Australia, and Olympic medal winner and athlete John Regis.