he United Kingdomís aim to be the leading coaching nation in the world by 2016 came a step closer today as Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe announced the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence in sport and disability sport will be based at Leeds Metropolitan University.

The Centre will be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom and will benefit up-and-coming coaches in a wide range of sports to help them reach the top and help drive a legacy of sporting success for British athletes.

sports coach UK and Leeds Met -  known in sporting circles as Carnegie - will work in partnership to establish the Centre that has received start-up funding of £600,000 from UK Sport and Sport England. It is also being backed by sportscotland, Sports Council for Wales and Sport Northern Ireland.

sports coach UK is to recruit a world-class Coaching Faculty that will pass on their expertise to coaches and ensure that the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence is on par with international best practice.  A UK-wide network of coaching experts, sports science and medical experts will also be established to support training and coach education throughout the country.

As well as benefiting elite-sport coaches the Centre will also offer training to community coaches to improve the quality of the sport experience for all, and help identify potential British sport stars of the future. 

The UK Coaching Centre for Excellence will focus on four areas of development:

-          High Performance: for coaches of athletes capable of achieving success at international level

-          Performer Development: for coaches that will focus on talent identification and development of young athletes

-          Participation: for coaches working in community sport, helping to increase sport participation

-          Childrenís coaches: for coaches that will work specifically with young people at each stage of their early development in sport.

Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe said: ìBehind every great athlete is a great coach and we want to ensure that we have the best sports coaches and coaching system in the world both at the elite end and grass roots.  The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be vital in helping us realise that ambition.  We want to develop a more professional approach to coaching in the UK with it becoming a real career option for people like it is in the United States.î

sports coach UK Chairman and coach to London Wasps and the British Lions Ian McGeechan said: ìTodayís

announcement is another clear marker that the coaching landscape in the UK is changing to ensure that we will

be developing active, skilled and qualified coaches to the highest level right across the spectrum of coaching. In the future, it will be possible for Childrenís Coaches to achieve Level 4 or Master Coach status, as well as those working in High Performance; Performance Development and Participation.î

sports coach UK CEO Pat Duffy said: ìsports coach UK is looking forward to working with Leeds Met Carnegie, the Governing Bodies, and each of the Home Countries, to commence the start-up of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence. The work of the Centre will play a key role in developing a world-leading coaching system in the UK by 2016.î

Leeds Met Chancellor Brendan Foster said: ìWe are delighted that Leeds Met has been selected to host the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence and that, finally, an organisation is being set up that proudly and firmly places coaching in its rightful place at the centre of British sport.  We've had great sportsmen and sportswomen in Britain over the years who have achieved success with the guidance of great coaches. It is a demonstration of real foresight to now formalise the organisation whose mission is to produce great coaches and, in turn, increase the chances of Britainís success in the increasingly competitive arena of world sport.î

Leeds Met Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Lee said: ìCarnegie has a 75 year history of commitment to coaching, typified by one of our very first students, Walter Winterbottom, who created the FAís pioneering coaching system. In this century, we are increasingly well known for our radical approach to sporting partnerships and our engagement with diverse communities. Coaching and working in partnership are the essence of Leeds Met Carnegie so we relish the opportunity of working with sports coach UK and all interested parties throughout the UK to reach a sustainable world-leading position by 2016 as part of the legacy of London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.î

Ends

Quotes from Home Country Sports Councils, UK Sport, Skills Active, Youth Sport Trust.

David Gent, Regional Director of Sport England Yorkshire, said: ìIt's fantastic that the UK Coaching Centre for Excellence is to be based at Leeds Met.  The Centre will help improve the quality of coaches not only in Yorkshire, but across the whole country.  This is a great step forward, as better coaches are crucial to helping our talented athletes reach their full potential; as well as increasing the number of people playing sport and giving people such a good experience that they want to carry on playing sport.î

sportscotland Chief Executive Stewart Harris said: ìWell trained, confident and capable coaches are key to delivering increased participation and improving performances in Scottish sport. Coaching is a recognised priority for sportscotland and in conjunction with national and local partners we aim to help Scotlandís coaches meet their full potential and further their coaching careers. We welcome the announcement that Leeds Metropolitan University is to be the venue of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence. The Centre will provide a focal point for all coaches throughout the country and play a crucial role in helping realise the ambition of the UK Coaching Framework.

Sports Council for Wales CEO Dr Huw Jones said: ìSports Council for Wales welcomes the launch of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence and looks forward to the further development of skilled and qualified coaches.î

UK Sport Chief Executive John Steele said: ìThe announcement of this Centre is further welcome evidence of how coaching is moving up the priority list in British sport.  Its focus, in particular around the provision of Level-4 Coaching Certificate Programmes, will bring further clarity to the coaching landscape in the

UK, and help to ensure that we continue to improve the interface between coaching at a world-class level and those supporting it throughout the pathway.î

SkillsActive's Chief Executive Stephen Studd said: ìCoaching plays an increasingly crucial role in growing and sustaining participation and developing talent. SkillsActive is delighted about the announcement and are looking forward to working with Leeds Met to develop the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure and ensure there is strong leadership and support through the Academy for improving the quality of coaching in line with the UK Coaching Framework and rolling out the UK Coaching Certificate.î

Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust said: ìWidening access to high-quality coaching is critical in delivering a step change in PE and sporting opportunities for young people. The establishment of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence represents an important step towards offering all young people five hours a week of PE and sport.î

Leeds Rhinos Head Coach, former New Zealand national RL coach and former winner of the International RL Coach of the Year Brian McClennan said: ìThis is a fantastic achievement for Leeds Met Carnegie and we are delighted by the announcement. Leeds Met are an integral partner of the Rhinos, with our players studying at Carnegie and students from the university assisting our coaching team, gaining experience in an elite environment to compliment their academic studies. The Rhinos were proud to be named Carnegie World Club Champions when we defeated Melbourne earlier this year. To be regarded as the best in your chosen field is what we all strive for and it is great that Leeds Met Carnegie should be awarded similar recognition in the same year.î

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Director of Professional Cricket Martyn Moxon said: ìAll sports need great coaches as they play such an important role by inspiring young people to achieve their potential. Leeds Metropolitan University is a great place to base A Centre for Excellence. The partnership between Leeds Met and The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is very positive, mutually beneficial and increasingly a number of our players are recognising the benefits of studying at Leeds Met for a life after their playing days are over. Todayís news is a fantastic achievement for the University and richly deserved.î

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact:

Heather Moir: Sports Coach UK Marketing and Communications Manager  - 0113 2043285 or 07980 595064, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or

Helen Goodwin: Head of Communications, Leeds Metropolitan University - 0113 8125935 or 07824 482510, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The UK Coaching Centre for Coaching Excellence will be available to all sports working within the UK Coaching Framework.

The sports are:

-          Angling

-          Archery

-          Athletics

-          Badminton

-          Basketball

-          Boxing

-          Canoeing

-          Cricket

-          Cycling

-          Equestrian

-          Football

-          Golf

-          Gymnastics

-          Hockey

-          Judo

-          Lacrosse

-          Netball

-          Orienteering

-          Rounders

-          Rowing

-          Rugby League

-          Rugby Union

-          Sailing

-          Squash

-          Swimming

-          Table Tennis

-          Tennis

-          Triathlon

-          Volleyball

It is expected that Snowsports and American Football will be added to this list shortly.

The remit of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be to:

-          Host the UK Coaching faculty, which will comprise of leading experts on coaching and will forge links with other agencies and institutions, as well as key sports science and medical personnel / agencies.

-          Play a leading role in Level 4 UK Coaching Certificate Programmes and in coaches continued professional development, with an emphasis on the coaching of children, disabled people, talent identified athletes and world class athletes.

-          Embed the UK Coaching Certificate into relevant undergraduate programmes.

-          Develop new cutting-edge programmes for the education and support of coaches including at Masters and PhD level.

-          Provide on-site opportunities for coaching practice and demonstrate models of excellent practice in the employment and deployment of coaches.

-          Support the development of scholarship schemes for coaches

-          Conduct research into coaching, coach development and participant development

-          Maximise the application of sports science and medicine to the education of coaches and practice of coaching

Leeds Metropolitan University was chosen by a sports coach UK convened Review Panel to host the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence after a comprehensive bid process, followed by site visits of the short-listed venues.

The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence will be linked to the National Skills Academy (NSA) and play a key role in the coaching element of the NSA

sports coach UK is a charitable organisation, jointly funded by Sport England and UK Sport and is the lead agency charged with the development and implementation of a UK Coaching Framework. For more information see www.sportscoachuk.org.

Carnegie is often used in relation to sport and sporting partnerships at Leeds Met. Carnegie College, a predecessor of Leeds Met, was founded as a PE training college in 1933, and the name is now used for  the Universityís Faculty of Sport and Education

The UK Coaching Framework will put in place a structure to create an ethical, inclusive and valued coaching system where skilled coaches support children, adults and elite athletes at all stages of their development in sport and which is number one in the world by 2016.

The UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) is an endorsement of coach education programmes across sports within the UK set against agreed criteria.