28 January 2010

Kevin Tyler – UKA’s Strategic head of Coaching and Development – has unveiled 2010 as Year of the Coach.

The year will celebrate, recognise and communicate to and about athletics coaches in the UK to highlight their expertise and hard work to bring success to athletes across the country.

And in recognising the skills within our coaching fraternity, UKA will work alongside the Home Country Athletics Federations to highlight, reward and further develop coaching ability through the year.

Tyler’s vision for the year is one where coaching is brought to the forefront of all activity and the profile of our athletes is dovetailed alongside the coaches who have helped them achieve their performance goals.

Tyler said: “The Year of the Coach is a superb opportunity for us to really focus on this essential area and ensure that come 2012 the athlete coach pairing is a natural part of the knowledge and storyline of our sport.

“We see it week in week out, the expertise, precision and attention to detail by premiership football managers like Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is globally recognised by spectators, players and the media. Athletics coaches are even more important and we are lucky to have so much world class expertise in this country, something many other sports cannot even boast of.

“UKA and our Home Country partners are working hard to ensure that coach education and the supporting resource is delivering excellence worthy of the number one Olympic and Paralympic Sport. In recent months we have launched our dedicated coaching resource website uCoach and restructured coach education so that every coach has the opportunity to develop and grow their knowledge base. Year of the Coach will build on the many successes achieved by Home Country Federations in 2009 including five superbly attended conferences and the excellent England National Coach Development Programme.

“But this is just one part of the jigsaw and 2010 gives us an opportunity to heighten the profile of coaching further.

“This year we will seek to recognise and reward excellence in coaching on a monthly basis, further the opportunities for developing coaches to make contact with world class coaches here in the UK, promote our top coaching talent in the eyes of European and World athletics, and support a world class coaching event here in the UK in the Autumn.”

“Each month a nominated coach will receive our Coach of the Month award for their contribution. What is important about this recognition is that any accredited coach at any level can receive it, we want nominations from peers, athletes, anyone who feels a coach deserves recognition*. “

Peter Stanley, former coach to Jonathan Edwards and England Athletics National Coach Mentor for triple Jump said: “I am delighted that 2010 has been earmarked as Year of the Coach. Much of the hard work that helps athletes to the podium takes place away from the spotlight and although as a coach you are not seeking fame or glory, recognition for the hours spent working with your athlete is always positive and I am sure across the year we will come to hear of many examples of excellence and dedication to this end.”

Stella Bandu, who was World 1500m silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey’s first coach and is one of the country’s most prolific female endurance coaches also works as an area coach mentor for endurance with England Athletics. She said:

“Year of the Coach will recognise those like myself that might be fortunate enough to have been part of a successful athlete’s development but can also be found regularly stood by my club track working hard with groups of developing athletes who may just be involved with athletics at a club or area level.

“It is great that the story of coaching is to be told across 2010, and coaches will be provided all these opportunities.”

Further information will be available on the uCoach (www.uka.org.uk/coaching) and  UKA websites www.uka.org.uk