England support staff selected for Commonwealth Youth Games

The support staff who will be working alongside England’s athletes at this summer’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago have been confirmed.

Shani Palmer (Speed Lead) is a former British Olympic and Commonwealth Games sprinter and will be joined by Tom Craggs (Endurance Lead), Tom Dobbing (Throws Lead) and Denis Costello (Jumps Lead).

Team Managers Vicky Griffiths and Alison Potts will support Scott Grace in his role as Team Leader, with the latter two having been part of the support staff working with England’s athletes at last summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The therapist team will consist of Ciaran Keen and Lucy Eggleton with an additional member of support staff to be announced in due course.

Expressions of interest were invited before the selection process for the team staff was worked through.

Scott Grace said:

“We’re really pleased to be able to confirm the team of staff who will be working with the athletes and para-athletes at this summer’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s as much an honour for the support team as it will be for our young athletes to be a part of such a special celebration of sport.”

“Across the support team we have huge depth in knowledge and experience of elite team environments which is going to be crucial in helping our athletes be as well prepared as possible, not just in terms of how they compete, but everything else that comes with being part of an England representative team overseas.”

England Athletics recognises the importance of developing roles such as event lead, team manager, and team leader, all of whom play a crucial role in the success of the team and the performance of athletes of all ages. The recent Loughborough International and Loughborough Pathway International events are examples of where we are providing more opportunities for individuals to gain that knowledge and experience of working in an elite environment.