Homepage

We use cookies to track and analyse visitors to our website

These cookies help make the website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation. They are necessary for our website to function and cannot be switched off.
These cookies gather information to understand how visitors interact with the website, such as how many people are using our website of which pages are popular to help us improve user experience. Switching off these cookies will mean that we cannot gather information to improve the user experience.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by a third party provider whose services we have added to our website. Switching off these cookies mean that areas of our website cannot work properly.

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient.

The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site.

For all other types of cookies we need your permission.

This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.

You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website.

Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy.

Skip navigation
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
Popular content on our site
Prepare to “Find Your Greatness” as search for UK's future athletes gets underway The National Lottery operator Allwyn launches ChangeMakers fund for athletes as they make a difference back home Breadth of success targeted as British Olympic and Paralympic performance aspirations confirmed for Paris Investing in sport Strategic plan 2021-31
News

"We have to utilise the expertise of our champions" Kelly Sotherton on life after retirement

Published 17 October 2014

Kelly Sotherton retired from competitive sport months before the London 2012 Olympic Games. At the launch of the International Leadership Programme (ILP), a UK Sport development initiative, we spoke to the Olympic bronze medal-winning heptathlete about life after retirement and why it’s important to keep athletes in the high-performance system.

How did you find retiring form sport and moving into the next phase of your life?

"It wasn’t really the way I wanted to retire, I wanted to go out after London 2012 but my injuries meant it wasn’t meant to be that way. I was massively depressed at points because I’d worked so hard, obsessed so much, to get to the Olympics. There was a point, every day for two weeks where I worked opposite the Olympic Stadium and strangely that was quite therapeutic.

"I thought I knew what I wanted to do once I retired, but it all changed once I had more time to think about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I’ve always had something to say, always wanted to make things better for the next generation of athletes, this led me to speak to a number of people for advice and to ultimately take up a course on governance and then to be recommended by British Athletics for UK Sport’s International Leadership Programme."

Do you think it’s important to get more athletes involved in programmes like this?

"It’s vital. Sportspeople need to get involved with the ‘administrative’ aspect, we’ve got to keep the expertise within the system, those that have grown within it have so much to contribute and should put back into it whether it’s a job, or volunteering or coaching the next generation. We absolutely have to utilise the expertise, knowledge, experience and passion of our champions and heroes to put back into the system. If we let them go, we’ll never get them back again."

Why did you want to be part of ILP?

"I instantly realised, and learnt, how many dimensions there are to sport and I’ve gone from tunnel vision to 360 degree scope where there’s suddenly the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Federations, National Olympic Committees, European and National Federations and I’m learning about what they do, their remit and I’m thinking 'why didn’t I know about this before?'. It’s an eye opener, but now I know there are specialisms within sport that I didn’t even know existed, I’m meeting new people and networking and gaining fantastic knowledge and advice on how to operate effectively in the international environment."

What do you hope to get out of it?

"That’s simple, a broader understanding of international sport, how it works, how decisions are made, those ‘corridors of power’ people speak about, the politics of who’s who and genuinely how it’s just interesting. Actually, it’s quite daunting! I never realised the intricacies and structure of international sport, the landscape is massive. It’s a bit like the film Labyrinth, you’re in the middle of the maze, you can see the castle at the top of the hill but you’ve just got to figure out how to get there. I’ve opened the first door on my journey; I’ve just got to figure out the rest of the path now!"

The International Leadership Programme (ILP), launched in 2006, is designed to equip British sport administrators with the skills, competencies and behaviours they need to become effective representatives at international level. This also ensures that the UK’s sporting interests, and that of its representatives, are positioned at the forefront of international elite sport.

The full list of members of the International Leadership Programme:

  • Ashley Metcalfe, CEO British Weight Lifting
  • Jane Jones, Director of Marketing and Communications, British Paralympic Association
  • Mahdi Choudhury, Sport Engagement Manager, British Olympic Association
  • Ian Howard, President and Chairman British Triathlon Federation
  • Iain Graham, CEO British Showjumping, FEI Technical Delegate British Equestrian Federation
  • David Sweetman, CEO Scottish Hockey
  • Kelly Sotherton, Retired Athlete, British Athletics
  • Matt Hammond, Performance Director, Great Britain Boccia Federation
  • Rob Udwin, RFU Council Member, Rugby Europe Board of Directors, RFU
  • Hitesh Patel, Head of International Sport, Major Events and Anti-Doping, DCMS
  • Mark Hunter, Retired Athlete, British Rowing
  • Graham Edmunds, Chair of Swimming Competitors Association, Athlete representative on the British Swimming Board of Directors
  • Nicola Newman, Director of Communications and Education, UK Anti-Doping
  • Emma Mason, BWF Council member and Chair of Athletes Commission. Retired
  • Athlete, Badminton Scotland
Share
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

News

Participants of the UK Sport Athlete To Coach programme taking part in a fireside conversation
UK Sport launches new programmes to support coaching across the high-performance community
21 May 2025
Headshot of Professor Nick Webborn CBE
Professor Nick Webborn CBE appointed new Chair of UK Sport
19 May 2025
Decoration image with the logos of UK Sport and Weirdo
Transforming fan experience: UK Sport introduces new engagement strategies for Olympic and Paralympic sports
15 May 2025
Looking to work in sport?
Find or advertise sports jobs in the UK
Search now
Our funders
  • Funded by UK Government
  • TNL partners
Who we work with
  • British Olympic Association
  • Paralympics GB
  • Logo of the UK Sports Institute
  • Sport England
  • Sport Northern Ireland
  • Sport Wales
  • Sport Scotland
  • Logo of the British Elite Athletes Association
  • Logo for UK Coaching
  • Logo of Sport Resolutions
Sitelogo
Sitemap
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Our work
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
  • Resources
  • Jobs in sport
  • Website terms and privacy policy
  • Editorial policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of Information
  • Welsh language scheme
  • FAQs
Contact
UK Sport
6th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 4PU
E: info@uksport.gov.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 7211 5100
Follow us
Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn

© Copyright UK Sport 2025