Coaching Highland win UK Award

Coaching Highland won a top prize at the UK Coaching Awards 2008 hosted by Sports Coach UK on Wednesday 17 December in London.  They won the new category ‘Agency in Support of Coaching’ and were chosen ahead of organisations such as SkillsActive (the sector skills council for the active leisure and learning industry in the UK) and The Football Foundation (funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government to fund grassroots football across England).

Based in Inverness, Coaching Highland was represented by its Chairman Mr Angus Dick and three staff Alan Hoseason, Elissa Steven and Vince Walker.  Alan Hoseason, Coaching Development Officer, who submitted the nomination and collected the trophy said: “It is tremendous that the excellent work being done in developing coaches in the Highlands has been recognised at a UK level in the presence of some sporting greats including Rebecca Adlington and Dame Kelly Holmes.  The staff at Coaching Highland is an excellent team and our award confirms that the work we do in funding over 2,200 coaches, training over 1,500 young people as sports leaders and over 1,300 volunteers for the Active Schools programme plus developing many other coach support mechanisms in Highland is at the very front of coaching development.”

Chairman Angus Dick said: “I am delighted that our staff have made the most of the funding from our main partners The Highland Council and sportscotland.  The Board of Directors are well aware of the professionalism and high achievements of the team which we see year on year in our annual reports.  Tonight, the staff have been suitably recognised and celebrated in front of the UK’s coaching agencies and elite.  There is no higher accolade we could have achieved.”

Coaching Highland has recently produced a Coach Recruitment DVD to help people understand how to become a sports coach, get support and obtain funding - this is available free to anyone seeking such advice.  Sports Coach UK used much of the footage on the DVD to support the entire awards ceremony making Highland sport a strong feature of the UK Coaching Awards 2008.
As a result of the award, Sports Coach UK’s Implementation Director has asked Coaching Highland to be a key speaker at the next UK Coaching Summit in 2009.

Ends