Coaching Excellence Interim Manager Appointed
sports coach UK is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Graeme Maw as the Interim Manager of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence in sport and disability sport.
Graeme has been tasked with managing the start-up of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence that will be based at Leeds Metropolitan University and will benefit up-and-coming coaches in a wide range of sports to help them reach the top and help drive a legacy of sporting success for British athletes.
sports coach UK and Leeds Met - known in sporting circles as Carnegie - will work in partnership to establish the Centre that has received start-up funding of £600,000 from UK Sport and Sport England. It is also being backed by sportscotland, Sports Council for Wales and Sport Northern Ireland.
Graeme brings a wealth of experience to the post from roles as Performance Director for British Triathlon and the Welsh Rugby Union. At British Triathlon, Graeme developed a strong and professional coaching network that twice took the Team to the top of the World Championships. At Welsh Rugby Union he conducted a strategic review and restructure to align the player pathway from the community to the professional game.
Graeme said: "Most athletes remember clearly the people who influenced and guided them, from when they first started playing in school to when they might have graced international podia. These are the coaches of our world, without whom aspiring athletes would not be given the opportunity, encouragement, or nurturing needed to succeed. It is a privilege to be able to set the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence on its course, being such a significant initiative in ensuring and developing our coaching expertise".
Graeme will take up the role from 6 October and will be based at Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley Campus.
In addition to the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence, Graeme will work in private consultancy, including projects such as Ashridge Business School and corporate clients.
Dr Pat Duffy, Group CEO of sports coach UK, welcomed the announcement, saying: “This appointment represents a very important step in the start-up year of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence. Graeme Maw brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in establishing the Centre on a firm footing. His work will involve close consultation with Governing Bodies of Sport and with the investment partners and will include the development of a four year business plan for the Centre.”
Malcolm Brown, Carnegie Director of Sport and Associate Dean, said: “Leeds Metropolitan University welcomes the appointment of Dr Graeme Maw to the post of Interim Manager of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence.
“Graeme's background in the development of coaching structures and systems is impressive and we are confident that he has the skills, energy and commitment to create a sound platform for the development of The Centre. At Carnegie we have a long history
in the development and support of great coaches and we are delighted to welcome Graeme to our campus in his new post. He has our full support and we wish him well.”
Kevin Bowring, Head of Elite Coach Development at the Rugby Football Union said: “The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence is an important initiative for the development of sport in this country. Rugby Union and the RFU in particular welcome the creation of The Centre and we look forward, as a governing body of sport, to working together to further develop coaching and our coaches.
“The RFU welcomes Graeme Maw’s appointment. He has worked with us on our elite coach development programme. His knowledge, experience and strategic thinking will be important in clarifying the purpose, setting up the processes, and managing the people needed to make the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence a success.”
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For further information please contact sports coach UK Communications Officer Chris Pearce: Tel 0113 2043526; Mobile 07974015710; email cpearce@sportscoachuk.org
Notes to Editor: The UK Coaching Centre for Coaching Excellence will be available to all sports working within the UK Coaching Framework.
The sports are:
- Angling
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Judo
- Lacrosse
- Netball
- Orienteering
- Rounders
- Rowing
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Sailing
- Squash
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
It is expected that Snowsports and American Football will be added to this list shortly.
The remit of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be to:
- Host the UK Coaching faculty, which will comprise of leading experts on coaching and will forge links with other agencies and institutions, as well as key sports science and medical personnel / agencies.
- Play a leading role in Level 4 UK Coaching Certificate Programmes and in coaches continued professional development, with an emphasis on the coaching of children, disabled people, talent identified athletes and world-class athletes.
- Embed the UK Coaching Certificate into relevant undergraduate programmes.
- Develop new cutting-edge programmes for the education and support of coaches including at Masters and PhD level.
- Provide on-site opportunities for coaching practice and demonstrate models of excellent practice in the employment and deployment of coaches.
- Support the development of scholarship schemes for coaches
- Conduct research into coaching, coach development and participant development
- Maximise the application of sports science and medicine to the education of coaches and practice of coaching
Leeds Metropolitan University was chosen by a sports coach UK convened Review Panel to host the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence after a comprehensive bid process, followed by site visits of the short-listed venues.
The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be linked to the National Skills Academy (NSA) and play a key role in the coaching element of the NSA
sports coach UK is a charitable organisation, jointly funded by Sport England and UK Sport and is the lead agency charged with the development and implementation of a UK Coaching Framework. For more information see www.sportscoachuk.org.
Carnegie is often used in relation to sport and sporting partnerships at Leeds Met. Carnegie College, a predecessor of Leeds Met, was founded as a PE training college in 1933, and the name is now used for the University’s Faculty of Sport and Education
The UK Coaching Framework will put in place a structure to create an ethical, inclusive and valued coaching system where skilled coaches support children, adults and elite athletes at all stages of their development in sport and which is number one in the world by 2016.