Athletics NI Annual Coaching Conference on 1st December Now Open for Registration

British Athletics Head of Field and Combined Events, Peter Stanley, will headline the Conference alongside Dr. Steve Ingham with keynotes from both, as well as practical sessions from Laura Turner-Alleyne (Speed Development), Ryan Spencer-Jones (Shot Put), Peter Stanley (Horizontal Jumps) and Colin Griffin (Strength and Conditioning for Endurance).

Stanley, who in 2018 was awarded the UK Coaching Lifetime achievement award, has had an illustrious career both as a coach and also a developer of coaching talent. The pinnacle of his coaching career was guiding triple jumper Jonathan Edwards to World and Olympic Gold medals as well as his 18.29m World Record.

Coach Development Lead for Athletics Northern Laura Kerr explained: “I have been privileged to work alongside Peter on British Athletics Teams in recent years and believe his years of experience have given him invaluable perspective on the development of athletes and coaches. We look forward to welcoming Peter back to Northern Ireland where some of his family reside including his granddaughter, who is a member of Rising Stars Belfast.  As well as delivering a keynote presentation Peter will also facilitate a breakout workshop for our emerging teenage jumps athletes and their coaches."

Also delivering a keynote presentation on 1^st December will be author, physiologist and ‘Supporting Champions’ podcast host Dr Steve Ingham. Steve is the author of the best-selling ‘How to Support a Champion: The Art of Applying Science to the Elite Athlete.’  His book discusses the importance of learning and adapting to reach our maximum potential and describes his work across a number of performance teams. 

Laura explained: “Steve, whose book was the core text used on Athletics Northern Ireland’s recent ‘Elite Coach Development Programme’ has provided support to hundreds of athletes, many of whom have achieved World or Olympic medal success. Steve has been an instrumental member of the performance teams supporting some of Great Britain’s greatest athletes such as Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. Ingham also worked closely with Kelly Sotherton prior to her Olympic and World medal winning success."

Steve has gained insight working at the British Olympic Association and English Institute of Sport, where he held the role of Director of Science and Technical Development, leading a team of 200 scientists in support of Team GB and Paralympics GB.  He holds a BSc, PhD and is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.  Steve is passionate about determinants of performance, application of science, people development and innovation. 

Director of Athletics Jackie Newton explained: “For 2019 Athletics Northern Ireland are delighted to offer breakout workshops across every event group and have brought together expert coaches from a range of backgrounds. We want to continue to support coaches in Northern Ireland and provide them with access to the best available knowledge and expertise as they continue to play a vital role in developing athletes to represent our country.”

The schedule for the day will be as follows:

The cost of this year's conference is £50 for licensed coaches with lunch and refreshments provided and coaches can register and select their breakout options HERE