Coaching Highland win UK Coaching Award
Coaching Highland was announced winner at the UK Coaching Awards 2008 hosted by Sports Coach UK on Wednesday 17th December in a glittering ceremony at the Dorchester in London’s Mayfair. They won the new category ‘Agency in Support of Coaching’ and were up against SkillsActive (the sector skills council for the active leisure and learning industry in the UK) and The Football Foundation (funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government to fund grassroots football across England).
The organisation based in Inverness was represented by its Chairman Mr Angus Dick and three staff Alan Hoseason, Elissa Steven and Vince Walker. Alan Hoseason, Coaching Development Officer, who submitted the nomination and collected the trophy on stage said, ‘It is tremendous that the excellent work being done in developing coaches in the Highlands has been recognised at a UK level in the presence of some sporting greats including Rebecca Adlington and Dame Kelly Holmes. The staff at Coaching Highland is an excellent team and our award confirms that the work we do in funding over 2,200 coaches, training over 1,500 young people as sports leaders and over 1,300 volunteers for the Active Schools programme plus developing many other coach support mechanisms in Highland is at the very front of coaching development.’
The event compered by BBC’s Steve Rider attended by HRH Princess Anne (Patron of Sports Coach UK) was attended by hundreds of coaches at all levels with many Beijing Olympic Coaches recognised on the night for their successes earlier this year.
‘I am delighted that our staff have made the absolute most of the funding from our main partners The Highland Council and sportscotland. The Board of Directors are well aware of the professionalism and high achievements of the team which we see year on year in our annual reports. Tonight, the staff have been suitably recognised and celebrated in front of the UK’s coaching agencies and elite. There is no higher accolade we could have achieved.’ said Chairman Angus Dick.
Coaching Highland has recently produced a Coach Recruitment DVD to help people understand how to become a sports coach, get support and obtain funding - this is available free to anyone seeking such advice. Sports Coach UK used much of the footage on the DVD to support the entire awards ceremony making Highland sport a strong feature of the UK Coaching Awards 2008.
As a result of the award, Sports Coach UK’s Implementation Director has asked Coaching Highland to be a key speaker at the next UK Coaching Summit in 2009.
The annual UK Coaching Awards recognise the hard work and dedication of sports coaches and those involved in developing coaches. The event is seen as one of the most prestigious within the industry and is attended by some of the most important and influential people in sport and coaching. Previous winners include Sir Clive Woodward OBE, Sir Bobby Robson CBE, Sir Alex Ferguson OBE, Frank Dick OBE and Sir Alf Ramsey.
Following the launch of the UK Coaching Framework the categories for the UK coaching Awards have been revised and updated.
Awards for Coaches:
- Coach of the Year
- Children's Coach of the Year
- Participation Coach of the Year
- Performance-Development Coach of the Year
- High-Performance Coach of the Year
- Young Coach of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- The Coaching Chain: The Appreciation of Coaching Award
Awards in Support of Coaches
- Coach Educator of the Year
- Governing Body of the Year
- Coaching Intervention of the Year
- Coaching Environment of the Year
- Agency in Support of Coaching
In Olympic and Paralympic years a number of awards may be made in the High-Performance Coach of the Year category.
sports coach UK is a charitable organisation, jointly funded by Sport England and UK Sport, and is the lead agency charged with the development and implementation of a UK Coaching System. More information at www.sportscoachuk.org
The UK Coaching Framework will put in place a structure to create an ethical, inclusive and valued coaching system where skilled coaches support children, players and athletes at all stages of their development in sport, and which is number one in the world by 2016. More information at www.sportscoachuk.org
UK Coaching Awards 2008 Winners
• Coach of the Year:
Shane Sutton (Cycling)
• Young Coach of the Year (Supported by sportscotland):
Duncan Parniss (Hockey)
• Lifetime Achievement Award:
John Jacobs OBE (Golf)
• Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Coaching:
Baroness Sue Campbell CBE
• High Performance Coach of the Year (Supported by UK Sport):
Jenny Archer (Paralympic Athletics)
Bill Furniss (Swimming)
Chris Gowers (Sailing)
Jurgen Grobler (Rowing)
Billy Pye (Paralympic Swimming)
Shane Sutton (Cycling)
Robert Torrance (Golf)
• Performance Development Coach of the Year (Supported by the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence): Andy Banks (Diving)
• Participation Coach of the Year:
Darren Barton (Rowing)
• The Coaching Chain: The Appreciation of Coaching Award: (Supported by the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence)
Linda Bennett; Ian Negus; Glenn Smith and Bill Furniss (Coaches of Rebecca Adlington)
• Children’s Coach of the Year:
Gordon Fearn and Martin Tilling (Nottinghamshire Play Sport)
• Coach Educator of the Year:
John Mills (Cycling)
• Governing Body of the Year:
British Swimming
• Coaching Environment of the Year: (Sponsored by the SkillsActive and the National Skills Academy)
Leeds Metropolitan University
• Agency in Support of Coaching:
Coaching Highland
• Coaching Intervention of the Year: (sponsored by The Media Group)
Coaching Communities Project as part of the Sports Pathways to Employment Programme. Managed by Sports Structures in partnership with Sandwell MBC