News

Posted: October 13, 2013

An apprenticeship programme to support former top-class athletes become coaches has been launched by sportscotland.

The Coaching Futures initiative will see eight sports employ a retiring or retired athlete who will use their knowledge and expertise to help develop and inspire the next generation of champions.

At a launch event on Wednesday night (October 9), the eight apprentices, who started their roles at the beginning of the month, were given an inspirational talk by Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend.

A six-month pilot project has already proved successful in swimming, with Olympian Kris Gilchrist becoming an integral part of Scottish Swimming’s coaching team.

The other sports which will employ an apprentice are athletics (Alan Scott – Olympian), cycling (Kevin Stewart – former British record holder) judo (Matt Purssey – 10-time British champion), netball (Lesley MacDonald – Scotland’s most capped player), rowing (John Higson – former Scottish champion), tennis (Joe Gill – Aegon British Tour winner), and triathlon (Bex Milnes – former elite triathlete).

With many ex-athletes naturally drawn towards coaching, this structured programme will help to increase the number of home grown performance coaches delivering in Scotland, retain vital knowledge and expertise within sport, and provide a stream of future national coaches.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said:

“I’m delighted that the eight apprentices have been appointed and look forward to seeing them progress their coaching careers.  "

“sportscotland is committed to supporting retiring or retired performance athletes into a career in coaching and this programme will provide a clear pathway for them to follow."

“The advice, knowledge, and expertise that these ex-athletes will be able to pass on to our aspiring Scottish champions will be invaluable and provides another vital part in our drive to build and support a world-class sporting system at all levels.”

Swimming apprentice Kris Gilchrist said:

"When I decided to call an end to my competitive career, I knew I wanted to remain in the sport in a coaching role. The Coaching Futures programme is allowing me to gain invaluable coaching experience, from grassroots to elite level, whilst being mentored by the top coaches in the country. The transition has been extremely smooth and the CPD [Continuing Personal Development] that has been made available is fantastic."

Ally Whike, Performance Director of Scottish Swimming, said:

“As a World Champion, Olympian, and Commonwealth Games medallist, Kris has extensive knowledge of what it takes to not only get to the top of your sport, but to stay there."

“Coaching Futures puts Kris in a fantastic position where he can use his character and desire to help others to develop into a quality coach, with the ultimate aim of passing on his wealth of experience to the next generation of swimmers.”

Coaching Futures gives Scottish Governing Bodies (SGBs) the chance to apply for an initial two-year apprenticeship post to support the development of their coaching skills and experience in a performance environment.

Through this programme, sportscotland will invest in Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games sports, as well as those considered to have the potential to deliver significant results at performance level.