Cymryd Rhan

On Sunday 20th Oct a blend of 75 parents, athletes, coaches and practitioners came to together to share in the start of a new journey for our Welsh Athletics community. Setting the scene for the new 7-year strategy in our sport and celebrating a one-team approach to growing and developing the sport of athletics and supporting our members in developing of a life long love for being physically active.

The theme of the Conference was “Coaching the person in front of you”, with a view to long term athlete development. As a collective, we explored the challenges of retaining athletes in our sport and reviewed data drawn from both the Welsh and English athlete populace. Common themes in this data highlighted the importance of the club/training environments and coach interactions that athletes experience. It was clear that across the board athletes want to have fun,  have relevant opportunity to progress and compete in a comfortable friendly context learning the skills they need to thrive in the sport. (PPT)

Keynote speaker, Kelly Sotherton, gave us an insight into her journey from international athlete to elite-level coach. She discussed the opportunities and skills the sport and her coaches afforded throughout her career, demonstrating the influence that athletics and its moving parts can have on the development of a person.

Presentations: