Coreen Beckford stepping down as OEMG Chair after a successful 18 months

The Officials Education Management Group (OEMG) is responsible for overseeing education and licensing activities for officials from Level 1 to Level 3 across the home countries. Coreen Beckford has chaired this group for the past 18 months, during which time they have made significant progress in advancing officiating qualifications, overcoming challenges, and establishing a clear plan for the year ahead.

Coreen has been instrumental in building strong foundations for collaborative work across the home nations and in improving communication and engagement with the wider officiating community. She has recently decided to step down as chairperson, having played a critical role in leading the group with diligence and integrity since its inception in 2023.

Under Coreen’s leadership, the OEMG achieved several key milestones. Over 4,000 officials at Levels 1 to 3 in England are now licensed, and more than 150 officials' courses were delivered to over 800 officials in the past year. Coreen also oversaw the streamlining of procedures to support newly trained officials in becoming licensed and actively engaged. Furthermore, she supported the pilot and national rollout of an official’s development program across England, which has shown promising early results.

To recognise service, badges were introduced for officials with five to 30 years of service, along with digital recognition for those with one to three years. Coreen's tenure also saw the development of education resources to support grassroots officiating, including discipline checklists, online training sessions, and quarterly officials’ newsletters for all officials in England. Significant progress was made in drafting and creating Level 2 and 3 discipline questions for all track and field disciplines, based on UK-wide feedback, making progression more accessible.

Looking ahead, mandatory training modules for health and safety and safeguarding have been updated, with rollout scheduled for 2025. The group also developed 18 tutors across all disciplines to deliver Level 1 and Assistant Official courses. Finally, Coreen's leadership enhanced the awareness, accessibility, and usability of key resources on the England Athletics website, and implemented a continuous feedback process with the officials’ community.

A big thank you to Coreen Beckford for her dedication and the amazing contributions she has made to the Officials Education Management Group. Her hard work has really boosted officiating qualifications and set us up for a strong future. Thanks, Coreen, for everything you've done!