11 November 2014

Thirty-four athletes have been invited to join the British Athletics Futures Programme for 2014-15 with seventeen new athletes added to the list.

The Futures Programme underpins the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) and was created by British Athletics to provide financial assistance and more targeted support for young talented athletes and their coaches. In addition, Futures also receives funding support from Sport England’s Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) for some members of the programme.

Futures focuses on athletes who show the potential to ultimately achieve future success at the IAAF World Championships, IPC World Championships, Olympic Games or Paralympic Games and have the potential to be selected to the WCPP within two years and are typically in the 17-20 age range, but with flexibility towards athletes who are deemed an exceptional case for support.

Eight athletes have graduated from the 2013/14 programme to the WCPP for 2014/15 including European Championship relay gold and 400m silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith (coach: Tony Hadley) and 14 year-old Maria Lyle (Tabo Huntley), the T35 100m and 200m IPC European champion. They are both inspirations for those selected to join the cohort of Futures athletes for the year ahead.

IAAF World Junior 400m hurdles silver medallist Shona Richards (Marina Armstrong) is a new addition to the programme after a season where she broke Perri Shakes-Drayton’s (Chris Zah) UK 400m hurdles junior record in a time of 56.16.

She joins the likes of Thomas Somers (Geoff Barraclough), the world youth number one in the 200m, and Yasmin Miller (Lloyd Cowan) who broke the twenty year old UK 100m hurdles  junior record this year with a time of 13.13, who have both excelled in the junior ranks this summer.

Seven Para-athletes have been selected for the 2014/15 programme including IWAS Junior Championships gold medallists Pani Mamuneas (Jim Edwards/Dan West), Polly Maton (Colin Baross) and Sheikh Sheikh (Jenny Archer).

British Athletics’ Development Manager Jo Jennings said:

“The aim of the Futures Programme is to support the next generation of champions and their coaches. We are delighted to assist the 34 athlete-coach pairings with their development plans and aid their future success.

“By providing athletes financial assistance and medical support, as well as coach development funding, the programme is aiming to help athletes follow in the successful footsteps of former Futures athletes such as Dina Asher-Smith and Robbie Grabarz.”

“The likes of Matthew (Hudson-Smith) and Maria (Lyle) are role models for the 2014/15 group of Futures athletes. Only this summer these two athletes were on this programme and now they are European gold medallists and on the World Class Performance Programme.

“Into 2015 we will align with the Sport England Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme and benefit from additional funding and support services which complement the Futures programme.

“By supporting athlete-coach pairs around their own programmes, it allows for more flexibility and better distribution of resources, which will benefit the sport in future years.”

British Athletics Futures Programme 2014-15

Sabrina Bakare – 400m (Jane Dixon), Theo Blundell – 800m (Eddie Cockayne/Craig Winrow), Seren Bundy-Davies – 400m (Stephen Ball), Taylor Campbell – Hammer (Paul Dickenson), Bobby Clay – 1500m (Peter Mullervy), Harry Coppell – Pole Vault  (John Mitchell), Jack Crosby – 400m (Lloyd Cowan), Ojie Edoborun – 100m (Jonas Taiwah-Dodoo), Amy Griffiths – 1500m (Mick Woods), Adam Hague – Pole Vault (Trevor Fox), David Hall – Decathlon (Ian Grant), Lucy Hatton – 100m Hurdles (John Anderson), Georgie Hermitage – T37 200m (Paul McGregor), Jamie Higgins – 20km Walk (Andi Drake), Harry Hughes – Javelin (Mike McNeil), Cheriece Hylton – 400m, (John Blackie), Shannon Hylton – 200m (John Blackie), Kyle Langford – 800m (George Harrison), Pani Mamuneas – F41 Shot Put/Javelin (Jim Edwards/Dan West), Polly Maton – T46 100m/LJ (Colin Baross), Hayley McLean – 400m hurdles (Lloyd Cowan), Yasmin Miller – 100m hurdles (Lloyd Cowan), Sophie Papps – 100m (Dan Cossins), Jacob Paul – 400m hurdles (Marina Armstrong), Nick Percy – Discus (Vesteinn Hafsteinsson), Kyle Powell – T45 100m (Ryan Freckleton), Shona Richards – 400m hurdles (Marina Armstrong), Julie Rogers – T42 100m (Allen Adamson), Sam Ruddock – F35 Shot Put (Jim Edwards), Elliot Rutter – 400m (Dan Cossins), Sheikh Sheikh – T54 100-200m (Jenny Archer), Ben Snaith – 400m (Graham Hedman), Thomas Somers – 200m (Geoff Barraclough), Shaun Wyllie – 1500m (Craig Winrow)