News
Welsh Athletics National Development Programme - Opening Day
24/10/2025 00:00, In Blog /
The Welsh Athletics National Development Programme (NDP) officially resumed on October 4, marking the start of another exciting year for the first tier of the Welsh Athletics Performance Pathway. The opening day welcomed a mix of newly selected athletes joining the programme for the first time, alongside returning athletes continuing their development journey.
Hosted at NIAC, Cardiff, the day began with a welcome and programme overview delivered by the Rhys Williams Pathway Lead, setting the tone for what promises to be a dynamic and impactful year ahead.
The day’s curriculum centred around the key themes:
- Performance Monitoring
- Performance Behaviours
- Female Health
- Event-Specific Development Sessions
Performance Monitoring
In collaboration with the Cardiff Met Biomechanics Department, athletes took part in detailed performance monitoring sessions, providing valuable insight into their current physical profiles. Athletes and their coaches can evaluate the information collected through their Athlete Management System, allowing them to analyse the data captured and discuss how these insights can be used to inform future training and performance planning. The session received excellent feedback, highlighting the value of linking sport science directly to athlete development.
Performance Behaviours
Welsh Athletics Sport Psychologist, Louise Jones, led the Performance Behaviours sessions, which is a key component of the NDP curriculum, now entering its third year. Louise has refined and evolved the content, this year drawing inspiration from key themes discussed in the Welsh Athletics “Beyond The Track” podcast. The inclusion of these real-world discussions, brought a fresh relevance to the session, linking closely with experiences shared across other Welsh Athletics performance programmes.
Female Health
A new and exciting addition to this year’s programme is the introduction of dedicated Female Health sessions, designed and developed by Welsh Athletics. These sessions aim to educate and female athletes to better understand their physiology and how it impacts training, recovery, and performance. The inclusion of this topic represents an important step in supporting holistic athlete development across the performance pathway.
The NDP’s opening day once again showcased the collaborative and athlete centred approach at the heart of Welsh Athletics’ performance pathway. With a clear focus on performance monitoring, behaviours, health, and technical understanding, the year ahead looks set to be another year of learning and progression, for Wales’ next generation of track and field talent.