Staffordshire Athletics Network - England Athletics

Network Name	Staffordshire Athletics Network (was South Staffordshire Athletics Network)
Start Date	July 2009
Clubs in Network (currently engaged)	Tamworth AC Cannock & Stafford AC Burton AC Stafford Harriers Washlands Women RRC Newcastle AC Lichfield Running Club Trentham Running Club City of Stoke AC
Other Partners	County Sports Partnerships: Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Authorities: Staffordshire County Council East Staffs BC Cannock Chase DC Stafford BC Newcastle BC Others: Competition Managers South Staffs PCT Run England
Network Chair/ Contact	Chair - John Finney: johnfinney26@btinternet.com Network Co-ordinator - Catherine Pendlebury: cpendlebury@staffordbc.gov.uk 07800 619 841 Key contact - Jane Kracke: jkracke@staffordbc.gov.uk CCSO - Nick Robinson: nrobinson@englandathletics.org Website - www.ssan.org.uk
Aims	The Staffordshire Athletics Network is enthusiastically committed to by four Clubmarked athletics clubs in the area who are currently actively working in partnership through the Staffordshire Clubs Forum, have excellent communication and share good practice. With the closure of Cannock stadium they have been working closely to join coaching groups, share facilities and signpost athletes to ensure continued athletics development. This has strengthened development in the area and the opportunity to formalise and develop joint plans would further enhance athletics in Staffordshire. The network is also firmly supported by the County Sports Partnership and each areas School Sport Partnership and Competition Managers who have already written athletics into their plans and funding bids. There is the basis of a very exciting and strong Partnership Network ready to embrace and sustain athletics development for the future. Across the proposed network there is a spread of coaches at all levels and expertise in specific areas including women’s running and disability. A collaborative coaching approach has already begun with coaches visiting neighbouring clubs, sharing experience and good practice. This has been coupled with accessing the Flying Squad Programme. The network would coordinate, develop and build on this, which would have a huge impact and benefit for coaches and athletes. Eight coaches from the proposed area have anxiously waited for the level three coaching course and are now currently doing the express course. These coaches would relish any other opportunities the network could access. The locality also has individual coaches not based at clubs, satellite groups in surrounding areas and local authority schemes whose experience and expertise would be included in the network. There are three excellent venues that are currently used for coach education in Staffordshire to facilitate the courses from. Sportshall athletics and Startrack schemes have an excellent reputation in the locality. Young coaches, sports leaders and volunteers have hugely driven the success of these schemes. Alongside Coach development, athlete induction programmes, Junior development, school/club links, improved quality of club based competition in local area and talent development are all areas where all partners could move athletics forward in the Staffordshire cluster, improving standards of delivery and performance and allowing athletics to grow and sustain. Sportshall athletics in schools has been hugely supported and successful this year by School Sports Partnerships in the area, this and other similar development are the focus linking school and club sport, again building on great foundations. Athletes are progressing across the whole athletics development pathway (from school – club and representative honours) and there have been some fantastic examples of leadership alongside. School club links continue to grow and the network would strengthen and develop the quality for aspiring young athletes. For the last three years at the West Midlands Regional Awards, clubs and partners in the network have been recognised for their innovative projects, coach and club development. Staffordshire proposed network shares England Athletics focus on coaching and through this application has demonstrated all partners’ vision for the development and strength of coaching to improve standards of athletic delivery and performance. Through focused support from England Athletics the existing excellent collaborative approach of all partners would enable an athletics network with all round strengths for the development of athletics in the local community.
Key Projects	Employ Network Coordinator to support coordination and delivery of Staffordshire Athletics Network Development Plan (Club & Coach) Audit of current coaching levels, active and inactive in the Network area. Mapping of future coaching requirements to include future projects. (In line with UKCC.) Also including other relevant courses e.g First Aid, Strength and Conditioning, other coaching areas where there is identified need e.g courses to support road running. Develop coach mentors and mentoring programme in line with EA (Level 1 and 2). Promote / Coordinate EA Flying Squad coach visits to Clubs Coordinate coaching courses with EA. Including Club Development Workshops and generic workshops for coaches. Raise and provide awareness of disability athletics coaching across the network and support where possible. Coordination of specific road running workshops and courses through Run in England programme Developing Sports Hall and Quadkids Athletics programmes in Schools – Inc PESSCL Links
Year 1 Achievements	In year 1 the network has firmly established itself and gained a good working relationship with all clubs and external partners. Whilst setting up the network and appointing a network coordinator. A hugely successful launch of the network took place and a major project focus has been on coach development. After consultation with clubs a programme of coaching workshops was put together to support the development of coaches in our area – specific to what they were coaching. These workshops were rotated around the clubs providing the opportunity for coaches from different clubs to come together and share their ideas. This proved such a success that a second programme was developed and plans for individual coach mentoring along side this to continue to raise the profile of coaching in year 2. The network achieved great success with Sportshall Athletics. Through school- club links and coaching across the network the U11 Staffordshire boys team were Champions in the Regional Final! Plans are already in place to further enhance the pathway from school to club activity for next season. Alongside the Network Committee separate action groups have been established in the areas of junior development, endurance and coaching. These action groups are not restricted to who attends but there is representation from all network clubs on them (where appropriate). These groups focus on developing the projects in the plan and raising these three key areas for the network. It is the ideas and input from clubs to these groups that will ensure the network strives to raise the level of athletics development in our area.

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