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Discipline-specific coaching advisory panels announced

UK Athletics and the Home Country Athletics Federations have today announced the composition of the discipline-specific advisory panels, as outlined in the UK-wide Coaching Strategy which was launched last October. The panels intend to obtain guidance and support from experts across the sport who will support the development of the event group areas across the UK.

The advisory panels, which will meet four times a year, are responsible for supporting the development and implementation of agreed priorities in the coaching strategic plan with the aim of increasing the standard of coaching and athlete performances in the event / area. The panels will offer expertise in all areas including the technical frameworks for the events, athlete profiling at various stages of development, content and curriculum for the new Learning and Development Framework, as well as developing Communities of Practice and competition requirements in their area. The panels are composed of highly skilled individuals across the sport at all levels in their coaching journey who bring a variety of experiences, understandings and knowledge to the discussions.

The panels will cover the areas of children, combined events, endurance, jumps, para, sprints and hurdles and throws. A number of England Athletics staff members have been selected:

Children’s

Scott Grace is the Advisory Panel lead, and he is England Athletics National Technical Lead for Youth Development. Scott has authored multiple coaching and teaching resources, including the Athletics 365 programme.  Scott is also a regular international Team Coach and Team Leader for England and GB & NI age group teams.

David Millet is an England Athletics Tutor for Coach Education and Children/Youth workshops, and is one of the UK’s leading youth coaches. He established the successful Marshal Milton Keynes youth section and programme.

Lijana Kaziow is an England Athletics Tutor and has had roles across multiple sports and institutions in advising, coaching, officiating, teaching, lecturing, tutoring, assessing and mentoring.

Joanna Bohannan-Walker is a tutor developer, assessor and content creator for England Athletics, Welsh Athletics and British Athletics. Joanna was one of the tutors that developed the original Children’s Coach award.

Combined Events

Darren Ritchie is the Advisory Panel Lead and England Athletics Event Group Lead for Combined Events. Darren is a former Commonwealth Games athlete and has coached athletes to World and European Age Group Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Rafer Joseph is the Combined Events lead for Talent at England Athletics and former International Decathlete. He is currently coaching several international athletes in Combined Events.

Kelly Sotherton is a three-time Olympic medallist, World and European medallist and Commonwealth Heptathlon Champion who is the Team Leader for England Athletics at the Commonwealth Games.

Jumps

Darren Ritchie is the Advisory Panel Lead and England Athletics Event Group Lead for Jumps. Darren is a former Commonwealth Games athlete and has coached athletes to World and European Age Group Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Jamie French is England Athletics Regional Coach Lead for Jumps for the North of England. He has experience as an England Athletics Team Coach. Jamie is a Tutor Developer for England Athletics and Welsh Athletics and oversees the quality assurance of Coach Education. He also led the development of the self-guided jumps module for the Athletics Coach qualification.

Kate Rooney is the England Athletics Pole Vault lead coach for the Youth Talent Programme, Regional Coach Lead for Jumps in the Midlands, She is a two-time Olympian and won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010..

Guy Spencer is an England Athletics regional coach lead for Jumps and lead for Triple Jump in the Youth Talent Programme where he has contributed to the development of the horizontal jumps curricula. Guy has coached athletes up to Olympic level.

Sprints & Hurdles

Janice Kaufman is a Tutor for England Athletics in Coach Education. This year, she won the regional BBC Unsung Sporting Heroes Award for the coaching at Gateshead Harriers & AC. Janice coaches athletes at various levels of the Olympic and Paralympic pathway.

Shani Palmer is England Athletics’ Event Group Lead for Sprints and Hurdles. She competed at the Sydney Olympic Games in the 100m, and represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and England at several major championships and Games.

Throws

Nick Ridgeon will be the Advisory Group Lead and is the England Athletics event group lead for throws and UK Athletics Futures Academy coach. He has coached athletes that have achieved international representation. His previous roles include England Athletics club and coach support officer and England Athletics throws talent coordinator. He  will be the throws lead for the England team at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Stuart Carlaw is the Talent Lead for shot with England Athletics and he has coached several international throwers. He founded the England Throws Camps that aim to improve and professionalise the delivery of coaching and coach education for throws.

Mark Chapman is the Talent Lead for Throws at England Athletics. Mark was shot put lead on the National Coach Development Programme and has been the National Talent Event Lead for Discus for the last few years. He has presented at multiple athletic and sports science conferences and has published his research in many journals.

David Turner is the England Athletics Talent Event Lead for the javelin throw. He has team-coached for GB&NI, England and Wales at major championships and at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Endurance

Spencer Duval is National Endurance Lead at England Athletics, overseeing the development of the programme in England. The 1996 Olympian steeplechaser has also worked as a Team Leader on British cross-country teams and World University squads.


Click here for the full list of panel members across the UK