Welcome to the England Athletics Talent Hubs
At England Athletics we are proud to work with fantastic partners and sporting universities across England to give talented athletes access to the very best support, facilities and coaching staff to help them progress their careers. From sports psychology to physiotherapy, strength and conditioning to nutrition, at each of our Talent Hubs we have a dedicated team ready to share their expertise.
We are delighted to introduce our four Talent Hubs based out of: Loughborough University, Leeds Beckett University, University of Birmingham, and St. Mary's Twickenham.
Learn more about our four Talent Hubs
Leeds Beckett University
The Talent Hub at Leeds Beckett University was originally established in 2019 after a long-term talent partnership with British Athletics. Now one of the four England Athletics Talent Hubs, Leeds Beckett University works with stakeholder support from London Marathon, TASS and Sport England to provide state-of-the-art training facilities to athletes across the talent pathway.
Each Talent Hub supports across all event groups, however some locations have a bias to one discipline due to the nature of the coaching staff or facilities available. Leeds has a bias towards endurance and race walking.
In addition to supporting athletes, the university also provides excellent career and professional development opportunities for current university students and those in the high performance space, taking advantage of the world-class facilities, expertise and mentorship.
Learn more about the Leeds Talent Hub from manager, Andi Drake.
Athletes supported:
- Youth Talent Programme: 23
- Junior Talent Programme: 5
- Senior Programme: 6
Get in touch with our Leeds Talent Hub Manager, Andi Drake: a.drake@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Follow on Instagram (@leedstalenthub) and X (@leedstalenthub)
University of Birmingham
Our central Talent Hub is located in Birmingham, a city with rich sporting culture. The city boasts two athletics facilities – Alexander Stadium which was the home to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and also a world-class track at the University of Birmingham. Established in 2020, the Birmingham Talent Hub was one of the first to be recognised.
The Birmingham Talent Hub, led by Andy Paul, has supported athletes of many different events throughout their careers including Lily Partridge, Issy Boffey and Matthew Hudson-Smith.
You can hear from Andy about the work of the Birmingham Talent Hub here.
Due to the proximity of Birmingham to the Loughborough Talent Hub, Birmingham supports all event groups, with the exception of pole vault, which will be based in Loughborough.
Athletes supported:
- Youth Talent Programme: 67
- Junior Talent Programme: 10
- Senior Programme: 10
Get in touch with our Birmingham Talent Hub Manager, Andy Paul apaul@talentpathway.org.uk
Follow on Instagram (@birmtalenthub) and X (@brumtalenthub)
St Mary's University, Twickenham
St Mary’s University, Twickenham is the most recent location to be added as an England Athletics Talent Hub in December 2022. St Mary’s has a long history as a centre of endurance excellence, having supported athletes such as Mo Farah on his journey to greatness. The university provides athletes with a performance environment and facilities respected worldwide.
The Talent Hub currently supports 41 athletes across the talent pathway, led by Talent Hub Manager, Craig Winrow.
Each Talent Hub supports across all event groups, however some locations have a bias to certain disciplines due to the nature of the coaching staff or facilities available. St Mary’s has a bias towards endurance.
Athletes supported:
- Youth Talent Programme: 10
- Junior Talent Programme: 2
- Senior Programme: 11
Get in touch with our St Mary’s Talent Hub Manager, Craig Winrow: craig.winrow@stmarys.ac.uk
Loughborough University
Alongside St Mary’s University, Loughborough University was most recently named an England Athletics Talent Hub in December 2022. As a university, Loughborough has a rich history and reputation of success across a range of sports, including track and field. Its state-of-the-art facilities are industry leading, and the perfect setting for talent pathway athletes to develop, learn and thrive under the guidance of world class coaching teams.
Unlike the other Talent Hubs, Loughborough welcomes athletes from across all event groups with the excellent outdoor and indoor facilities.
As well as being an excellent base for training, the university also plays host to a range of developmental competitions, such as the Loughborough International, Pickering Memorial Throws International and the British Milers’ Club.
Athletes supported:
- Youth Talent Programme: 126
- Junior Talent Programme: 11
- Senior Programme: 11
Get in touch with our Loughborough University Talent Hub Managers, Kyle Bennett and Femi Akinsanya: K.K.Bennett@lboro.ac.uk | O.Akinsanya@lboro.ac.uk
Follow on Instagram: @loughborough_ea_hub
Investment from key stakeholders
We work very closely with a number of key stakeholders to ensure we are providing the best possible facilities, coaching, staff and opportunities to athletes across the talent pathway. Each stakeholder contributes vital support in all steps of the athlete's journey with us, from funding to nutrition, competition opportunities to access to state-of-the-art facilities. We would like to thank our talent pathway partners, London Marathon Events, TASS, British Athletics and Sport England.