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England Athletics is delighted to announce that Matthew Syed will open the 2012 South Area Coaching Conference with his Keynote: The Growth Mindset and the Science of Motivation. Matthew Syed is a British journalist, broadcaster and author of Bounce, a book described as “a must-read for anyone interested in the science of success, and the mindset and culture that support it”. He has won numerous prizes for his writing including Feature Writer of the Year at the SJA Awards and Sports Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards.

Matthew's is the latest name added as a speaker at our 2012 National Coaching Conferences. Following on from the excitement of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the theme of the Conferences will be “Where next for coaching?” They will also be used as the launch events for this winter’s Local Coach Development Programme.

The events which have always been enthusiastically received by attendees will be held as follows:

• North: Leeds Metropolitan University on 29th September
• Midlands and South West: Birmingham High Performance Centre on 30th September
• South: Lee Valley Athletics Centre on 29th September

Matthew’s keynote will explore a question that most coaches will ask themselves at some point in their coaching career: ‘Where does excellence come from?’ Is the answer a natural talent that is written in our DNA? Or are there other factors that underpin excellence? Many of us believe that motivation and a hard work ethic are key contributing factors but what makes an athlete motivated to succeed and work hard? And importantly for coaches, what are the practical considerations one can make in their coaching to make an impact? His keynote will not only explore the importance of practice, but also the importance of believing in the power of practice.

Matthew is currently a columnist and feature writer for The Times and also commentates on sport for the BBC and Eurosport. He commentated at this year’s Olympics and also presented a short BBC feature ‘Olympics 2012: The Importance of Sport Psychology’.

Before becoming a writer Matthew was the England table tennis number one for almost a decade, three-times Commonwealth Champion, and twice competed for Great Britain in the Olympic Games (in Barcelona, 1992 and Sydney, 2000). In the afternoon, a second Keynote will be delivered by England Athletics Head of Coaching, Richard Wheater and will cover ‘Where Next for Coaching?’

Richard's presentation will provide an overview of the future for Coach Education and Coach Development with particular focus on the launch of the new “Event Group” and “Event Specialist” qualifications. Building on the momentum of London 2012, this Conference will be an opportune time to explore where next for your own coaching. More than 100 coaches have booked their place at the Conference – be sure to book your place too.

Further information on all workshops and workshop speakers can be found at www.englandathletics.org/south-coach-conference

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