Sir David Brailsford has today been made an honorary member of UK Sport’s new Coaching Fellowship, which aims to champion the coaching profession and support the development of world class coaches in the UK.
Above: Sir Dave Brailsford (left) alongside Head Coach Shane Sutton at the recent Manchester UCI Track Cycling World Cup.
Brailsford, along with GB rowing's Jürgen Grobler OBE, was announced as an inaugural Honorary Fellow at UK Sport’s World Class Performance Conference presented by Sportscover, and has been chosen for his proven track record of delivering sustained success, but also his commitment to coach development and willingness to share and impart knowledge.
"I’m excited and honoured to be part of UK Sport’s Coaching Fellowship, which will help ensure we get the best out of our coaches, and continue to see British sport go from strength to strength.”
Sir Dave Brailsford
UK Sport has identified high performance coach development as a key ingredient to winning more medals at the next summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio, while building a stronger, more sustainable high performance system, and has doubled its investment into this area for the Rio cycle.
While Brailsford and Grobler will help UK Sport to develop coaches already operating at a high level within their sport, the new ‘Athlete to Coach’ programme, designed to meet a demand from sports for help at the foundation level of the coaching pathway, will support former world class athletes, identified by their sports, to accelerate their transition into careers as world class coaches.
Sir David Brailsford, Performance Director of British Cycling, said: “Good coaching has been a crucial ingredient in the success of the GB Cycling Team over the years, and supporting our coaches in their professional development is key. I’m excited and honoured to be part of UK Sport’s Coaching Fellowship, which will help ensure we get the best out of our coaches, and continue to see British sport go from strength to strength.”
Liz Nicholl, CEO of UK Sport, said: “To remain successful in a very competitive environment, the British high performance system has to continue to evolve, innovate and work in partnership to harness all the talent, experience and knowledge available to us.
“Sir David Brailsford and Jurgen Grobler are exceptionally talented and experienced individuals who share our vision for success and as Coaching Fellows they will help to inspire and support the development of the next generation of leaders."
