UK Sport has recently confirmed the first cohort of a new coach development programme, Coaching in High-Performance Sport (CiHPS), supporting 27 coaches across 21 sports.
The CiHPS programme features already world title holding coaches, with British Curling coach Michael Goodfellow supporting Team Mouat’s Gold medal at the Curling World Championships. Likewise, Joshua Richardson supported Jessica Gadirova to win three gold medals at the European Gymnastics Championships in Turkey earlier this month.
Hannah Brown from para-canoeing, Nicola Benavente from para-rowing and Michelle Forrest from climbing were part of UK Sport’s female coaches leadership programme. Including Michelle Flemings who has had great success of recently, supporting Georgia-Mea Fenton, who was part of the British Artistic gymnastics gold medal-winning team at the European Gymnastics Championships.
The design and structure of CiHPS builds on the learning and feedback gathered from coaches and the sports who participated in the High-Performance Coach Apprenticeship Programme (HiCAP).
Beginning in April, the programme will have a particular focus on supporting coaches’ learning & development, whilst being mindful of a very busy and demanding qualification phase on the journey towards Paris. The 12 month programme will include a combination of online and in-person sessions over the course of the year.
Many of the coaches on the programme have recently progressed to coaching within Podium environments. A central strand of CiHPS is 1 to 1 support from a Coach Developer, many of whom have recently completed (or are currently participating) in the sister Supporting Coaching in High-Performance Sport programme. Other learning design elements include workshops, cross-sport environment visits and a regular community of practice to provide a supportive social network.
Aligned with the Coaching in High-Performance Sport professional standard (CIMSPA), the CiHPS programme sits alongside UK Sport’s wider suite of coaching development programmes, which in total support more than 140 coaches, Coach Developers and other staff working across the high-performance sport community.
The first workshop was held at the Etihad Stadium at the beginning of May and very deliberately explored the theme of coach well-being, care and support – a strand that will run throughout the programme.
Andy Bradshaw, programme lead and Coach Developer to two coaches on CiHPS said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with our first Coaching in High-Performance Sport cohort and to be supporting 27 brilliant coaches to progress further, develop new knowledge and skills and generate a supportive community for each other.
“At UK Sport we are committed to working with National Governing Bodies and coaches to develop an expert high-performance coaching community to power success now and into the future so that we continue to win and win well, grow a thriving sporting system and inspire positive change.”
Greg Drummond, newly appointed British Curling Olympic Head Coach:
“The UK Sport Coaching in High-Performance Sport programme provides coaches like myself access to a wealth of expertise allowing us to develop in our roles and provide high quality coaching to our athletes. The opportunity to build up a network with people in a similar role cannot be underestimated.
Being able to share experiences and solve problems together is a rewarding experience for us all. Many of us on the programme are ex athletes who have transitioned into coaching, and I think the support UK Sport provide to us in that regard is second to none as the journey can be a challenging one.”
Luke Smyth, Academy Technical Coach at British Canoeing:
“I am excited to be presented with the opportunity to push myself and improve my coaching practices. There is a lot of experience and knowledge on the course, so I am curious to engage with the other coaches and coach developers that are on and running the course to explore my practice on a deeper level, allowing me to deliver the best I can, on and off the water.”
Michelle Forrest, GB Climbing Talent coach:
“I am delighted to be offered a place. I am looking forward to learning, sharing and collaborating with a much wider coaching community and to work closely with coaches already established at the very elite end of high performance.
“As a coach within a ‘newer’ sport joining the Olympic family, the impact upon our sport has been significant. There is a whole area to better understand around the athlete journey, through the pathway we are identifying we need to learn what experiences are really “accelerators” for realising potential.
“This will help GB Climbing better understand what the key physical, psychological, and technical tactical milestones are and how individual athlete planning can support individuals in leading their own journey at each stage of our programme activity.”
Kevin Brooks, Head Coach at Wycombe District Swimming Club:
“I’m looking forward to the bespoke nature of the mentorship side of the programme. Being linked to a high-profile, experienced coach developer is really exciting, as it allows me to delve deeper into a particular aspect of my coaching.
Additionally, being able to share experiences with coaches from other Olympic and Paralympic sports will help me to think further outside of the box and critically reflect on my own coaching practice, to ensure that I get the best from my athletes, now and in the future.”
Lauren Kianchehr, Boccia England pathway coach:
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Coaching in High-Performance Sport programme and am looking forward to applying the learnings in my role within the Boccia UK World Class Programme. I’m confident it will support me well into the future as a high performance coach.”
Michael Goodfellow, British Curling High Performance Coach and Team Coach to World Champions Team Mouat:
“After being part of a coaching apprenticeship programme since I retired from being a full time athlete, this Coaching in High-Performance Sport programme is a great opportunity for myself to further develop in my role as a high-performance curling coach. Helping athletes achieve their goals on the international stage is something I'm very passionate about, and I relish the opportunity to work with a network of similar minded coaches, which will undoubtably help me on my coaching journey.”
Mathew Trodden, Depute Head of Swimming at The University of Edinburgh coach:
“I am delighted to be part of the Coaching in High-Performance Sport programme and am really looking forward to challenging myself to learn more about my coaching craft through the workshops, interaction with other elite coaches from across multiple Olympic and Paralympic sports, and working with our assigned coach developers”.
The full list of coaches;
- Julia Quinn, Badminton
- Lauren Kianchehr, Boccia
- Phil Sellers, Boxing
- Luke Smyth, Canoeing
- Hannah Brown, Para Canoeing
- Michelle Forrest, Climbing
- Liam Briddon, Climbing
- Greg Drummond, Curling
- Michael Goodfellow, Curling
- Kaarle McCulloch, Cycling
- David Daniell, Para Cycling
- Andrew Pink, Para Cycling
- Nicola Wilson, Equestrian
- Richard Kruse, Fencing
- Glen Golding, Wheelchair Fencing
- Joshua Richardson, Gymnastics
- Michelle Flemings, Gymnastics
- Jody Paul, Hockey
- Russell North, Modern Pentathlon
- Michal Janca, Modern Pentathlon
- Ben Richens, Para Powerlifting
- Nicola Benavente, Para Rowing
- Benji Fulker, Skeleton
- Paul Bell, Squash
- Mathew Trodden, Swimming
- Kevin Brooks, Swimming
- Gary Short, Trampolining