Following the news of the untimely passing of Professor Patrick Duffy, Vice-President for Strategy and Development for the International Council for Coaching Excellence and former CEO of sports coach UK, UK Sport would like to pay tribute to the significant contribution that Pat made to the UK coaching system.
UK Sport CEO Liz Nicholl said: “Pat Duffy was a visionary and inspirational leader in the field of coaching with a natural ability to enthuse those around him. Pat was responsible for the design and establishment of the UK Coaching Certificate and his work will continue to benefit sports, coaches and athletes at all levels for many years to come.”
Graham Taylor, Head of Coaching at UK Sport, said: “I would like to thank Pat for his help to me personally in my role as Head of Coaching at UK Sport. Pat willingly offered his experience and advice to help shape the world class coach development programmes we now have in place to support the UK high performance system.
“Pat was a natural mentor to those who would listen and engage, he understood coaching and championed it in a way that mesmerised; Pat was a true pioneer of the coaching profession.”
Our thoughts are with Pat’s family and friends at this difficult time.