25 November 2010

Continuing UKA’s long term commitment to the development of a sustainable coaching structure through to 2012 and beyond, former Olympic heptathlete and Level 3 Performance Coach Julie Hollman has been appointed as Apprentice Coach: Combined Events.

Hollman, who is currently UKA’s National Performance Centre Co-ordinator at Lee Valley in London, will take up post full time from January and will work under the mentorship of UKA’s National Performance Centre Director (Lee Valley) Dan Pfaff, who has coached over 70 athletes to Olympic Games and World Championships and most recently guided Christian Malcolm to European Championships silver.

Coach to Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Grace Clements and former coach to Commonwealth champion Louise Hazel, Hollman, who has been involved as a coach for the Aviva GB & NI team since 2009, will develop and progress athletes across the combined events group and will support UKA and Home Country performance and development staff in the growth of the event group.

Hollman said: “I’m really excited to have been given this opportunity. I have a huge desire to learn and develop my coaching skills both practically and theoretically and my appointment as Apprentice Coach will enable me to continue to do that while working closely with Dan and the other National Event Coaches, Development Coaches and Apprentice Coaches at Lee Valley.“

Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development added: “With Julie’s appointment, and following the recent appointment of Hayley Ginn as Apprentice Coach – Paralympic: Sprints and Wheelchair Racing, we’ve now a full complement of Apprentice Coaches who are integral to the sustainable and progressive coaching structure we’ve put in place. Each coach adds value to our programme. Julie’s own experience as a former international athlete is hugely important while her desire to learn and develop as a coach from the world class coaches already in our system is vital as we continue to create a coaching legacy.”