UK Athletics have welcomed 13 coaches onto their first "Achieving Excellence in Coaching” Programme.

They are Martin Airey (endurance), Tom Crick (sprints), Martin Delbridge (endurance), Stephanie Douglas (sprints), Bill Foster (endurance), Carl Graham (sprints), Steven Hughes (high jump, hurdles), Sean Power (triple jump), Graham Ravenscroft (high jump), Alan Richardson (pole vault), Ian Roberts (horizontal jumps), Dave Smith (hammer) and Richard Wheater (400m, 400m hurdles). They were selected from more than 110 applicants.

Announcing the names, UKA Head of Coaching and Teaching Callum Orr said: “The selection days were very successful. We believe that we have selected a group of highly motivated and skilled coaches who will potentially make a massive contribution to coaching world class athletes in the years to come.”

The Programme is part of the national governing body’s strategy to establish a coaching network that will sustain progressive improvement of athletes to and beyond London 2012.

UKA Chairman Ed Warner, Chief Executive Niels De Vos and Performance Director Dave Collins all emphasised at their start-of-season briefing to the media this week that there will be increased investment in coach development and education at every level in the drive to increase the number of world class coaches establishing a conveyor belt of world class athletes.

The coaches on the "Achieving Excellence in Coaching” Programme will receive:

• opportunities tailored to each individual’s specific needs;

• exposure to ‘the best’ whether in UK or further afield;

• assistance with cutting edge scientific thinking;

• challenges to ‘think outside the box’;

• experience of people in other sports and different fields of endeavour who generate world class results;

• opportunities to gather together to challenge and support one another;

• completion for all coaches of Level 4;

• formal mentoring and technical advice from the vastly experienced and successful Malcolm Arnold and/or other acknowledged experts.