Badminton England is pleased to announce the first cohort of coaches accepted onto the Performance Coach Programme, designed to support the development of coaches working with players within the junior pathway network.
The programme is designed to support the development of influential and up-and-coming leaders within coaching, ready to act as role models to inspire a generation of future athletes and coaches throughout the junior pathway network.
As an integral element of the ‘Badminton – A Sport for Everyone’ strategy, Badminton England aims to develop a diverse and inclusive delivery workforce.
Accepted onto the programme were the following coaches:
· Alex Lane (Buckinghamshire)
· Andrew Aspinal (Staffordshire)
· Atu Rosalina Sagita (Leicestershire)
· Chris Tonks (Berkshire)
· Harley Towler (Lincolnshire)
· Huaiwen Xu (Surrey)
· Jessica Pugh (Buckinghamshire)
· Jon McDonald (Wiltshire)
· Jonty Russ (Derbyshire)
· Lydia Powell (Kent)
· Nic Strange (Warwickshire)
· Sara Sankey (Buckinghamshire)
The overall vision of the Performance Coach Programme is to provide a broader, higher-quality coaching workforce with increased confidence, knowledge, credibility, and experience.
This will help coaches support players with the required skills and capabilities to transition from junior to senior badminton and the demands of full-time training within the England and GB Programme.
The interactions, face-to-face and virtually, will be practical, reflective, and highly relevant, underpinned by expert research.
Morten Frost, Performance Director said, ““I am excited to have such an inspiring group of coaches from a variety of backgrounds accept a place on the Performance Coach Programme as part of our investment into supporting the development of coaching across our junior pathway”.
“Over the next two years we look forward to developing stronger working relationships and engagement with these coaches and provide an excellent development opportunity for individuals with the potential to be future national coaches”.
The specific aims of the programme are to:
· Implement a process of Talent Identification to succession plan for the next generation of High-Performance coaches in England.
· Provide identified coaches with access to innovative high-quality learning experiences, enhancing the level of coaching provided to players within the junior pathway network in the short term and preparing them to effectively support and develop world-class English players in the long term.
· Lead and drive the development of junior talent via the Player Characteristic Model across the junior pathway network.
· Develop coaches’ leadership skills related to player and programme management in a High-Performance environment.
· Provide opportunities for supported individualised experiential learning journeys, aligned to the Player and Coach Characteristic Models.
· Develop a network of coaches with stronger working relationships across the junior pathway network, influencing the system and its future development.
