Young athletes with the potential to deliver global medals for Britain will be selected to the new UKA Futures Programme unveiled today. As part of the recent restructuring of UKA’s World Class Performance Programme (WCPP), and the drive towards more targeted support for athletes and their coaches, UKA has introduced the UKA Futures to underpin the WCPP.
The programme, which will commence in December 2009, will typically target athletes in the 17 to 20 age range with flexibility towards athletes who have come late to the sport, are in late developing events or are deemed an exceptional case for support.
Athletes and their coaches will be supported in their individual development plans, allowing for more flexibility and individual discretion around distribution of resources. Catering for individual circumstances and needs, coaches and athletes will have responsibility to manage their own budgets and have much greater ownership of their own support programme.
Up to 40 coach-athlete pairs will be selected onto the Futures programme for a programme start in December 2009.
Programme Benefits
COACH
Financial assistance (up to £750 [1]) towards support for their individual development plan and supporting the athlete(s) in training and competition
Priority inclusion into all coach development programming
Appropriate and agreed mentoring and support - linked into the UKA Development Coaches, National Event Coaches and the National Coach Development Programme (in England) if applicable
ATHLETE
Financial assistance (up to £1500) towards training and competition costs
BOA Olympic Passport and Medical Insurance
Access to doctor network at National and Regional Centres
Physiotherapy via UKA National Centres or approved providers
Other service access by agreement, either via UKA National Centres or partner organisations /approved providers (via athlete’s budget)
Selection Process: (i) Invitation to Apply
For athletes in this tier just below WCPP, estimated to be more than four years away from podium[2], analysis of performance alone is not an adequate predictor of future success. Therefore the selection process for the UKA Futures programme will also take into account the athletes’ coaching and training environment.
Athletes will be invited to apply based on meeting the following performance and competition criteria:
· A: Performance criteria (see PDF at foot of page)
Did the athlete's 2009 Season's Best Performance exceed the standard of either:
(i) the average 8th place / final performance[3] at World Youth Championships for Under 18s
(ii) the average 8th place / final performance[4] at World Junior Championships for Under 20s
(iii) the WCPP "E" standard for Under 23s [5]
· B: Competition criteria
Did the athlete compete at one of the following championships in 2009: European U23 (Kaunas), European Juniors (Novi-Sad), World Youths (Bressanone)?
Athletes (aged 17-20 in 2009) will be automatically invited to submit an application if they achieved both the performance AND competition criteria (A and B above).
An additional group of athletes considered to have high potential for future world and Olympic success will be identified by the UKA panel and invited to apply. This “wild-card” group could include athletes outside of the 17-20 age range.
If an athlete or coach believes they qualify for an automatic invitation and does not hear from UKA by Wednesday 11 November, please contact Development Manager Jo Jennings – jjennings@uka.org.uk
Up to 40 athlete-coach pairs will be selected for the Futures programme. The selection will be made based on an application form and a final selection process described below.
Selection Process: (ii) Application Form
Invited athletes and their coaches will be invited to submit a joint application form with the following information:
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Personal data – contact details etc
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Top 3 performances and Championships results
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Injury history
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Coach’s relevant qualifications / experience - history of success at national and international level
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Training environment – locations, facilities, input and times
An annual plan, including competition and training plans and a proposed budget should also be submitted. Templates, guidance and resources will be available from UKA (via National Event and Development Coaches) and on the UKA website for reference if required (www.uka.org.uk/coaching).
Applications must be received by 2pm on Wednesday 25 November 2009.
Selection Process: (iii) Final Selection
On receipt of the fully completed form along with plan and budget, the application will be assessed by a UKA panel (including UKA Strategic Head of Coaching and Development, National Event and Development Coaches (or nominated specialist ie National Performance Centre Directors), Development Manager and Statistician).
Final selections will take into consideration athlete performance – consistency, ranking, championship ability/record etc, the annual plan, coach’s previous history and experience of developing talented athletes, training environment and other contributing factors.
SportsAid
UKA will recommend a number of the unsuccessful Futures applicants to SportsAid for a Priority Award. However, in order to be considered for SportsAid awards, athletes must additionally complete a SportsAid application form. Details of how to apply will be available from Home Countries athletics associations for all athletes who wish to apply.
[1] Maximum award for any coach will be £1500, regardless of number of athletes coached who are selected. UKA employed coaches will not qualify for a coach award.
[2] Level ‘D’ of WCPP: Athletes deemed to be capable of achieving a top eight finish at an Olympic or World Championship level within the next 4 years.
Level ‘E’ of WCPP: Athletes who have all the necessary characteristics to become a future podium athlete and who are currently located in an environment which makes the progression to D level within the next 2 years a realistic possibility.
[3] Analysis of World Youth Championships – 2009, 2007, 2005
Average of the slowest qualifying performance for the final in track events in which there was a semi-final; Use of the average 8th place performance for track events with straight finals and all field events
[4] Analysis of World Junior Championships – 2008, 2006, 2004
Average of the slowest qualifying performance for the final in track events in which there was a semi-final; Use of the average 8th place performance for track events with straight finals and all field events
[5] UKA World Class Performance Standards Matrix 2009-2010
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