Rachel (29) – who is the head coach at the Young Athletes Training Academy (YATA) in Poole – spent three weeks in Australia during August, dividing her time between Canberra and Brisbane. In Canberra, Rachel visited the Australian Institute of Sport where she got a first-hand account of the institute’s high-tech facilities at the Testing Aquatic Centre. There, she also met with Swimming Australia where she gained an insight into the structure of swimming from grass roots to elite level.
“Everyone I met with was so helpful and completely open to sharing information and showing me the facilities,” Rachel said. “The AIS is an incredible resource and I can really understand how and why Australian swimmers have been advanced for so many years.
“They have a very successful structure in place and the support the athletes receive is second to none. I believe we lack structure for youth development in the UK and need to look to countries like Australia to learn the most effective ways of developing our athletes.”
Rachel also had meetings at the Queensland Academy of Sport – a breeding ground for over 600 athletes – Surfing Australia, Swimming Queensland and the Brisbane Broncos – Queensland’s most successful Rugby League team.
She said: “Swimming Queensland is the founder of some fantastic high performance training and support methods, which continue to be rolled out to the rest of the country. For example, when an athlete retires or is injured they are offered support from the Queensland Academy of Sport to help them emotionally adjust. The academy also works with local companies, colleges and universities to help put retired athletes on a path to full-time education or work.”
Rachel believes that although sport in Australia has similar issues to the UK, including a lack of coaches, early drop out rates and obesity problems, the country has far better systems in place to manage them.
“Young athletes and their parents in Australia are provided with information on what to eat, how to recover and are given a lot more opportunities to attend swimming camps. The clubs are well run and do as much as they can to help the athletes succeed,” Rachel said.
Rachel’s unique training experience was supported by SkillsActive and the Nancy Ovens Trust. In May, Rachel beat out 57 applicants from around the country to receive one of six SkillsActive and Nancy Ovens bursaries, awarded annually to paid and un-paid individuals working within the sport, fitness, playwork, outdoors and caravan sectors. The bursaries are designed to help individuals improve their skills through an innovative training programme outside the scope of regular training.
In line with the bursary guidelines, Rachel planned her own training experience, making contact with a number of people and organisations in Australia before she left the UK. She is now putting together a comparison study from her time abroad which she hopes to share with other young coaches and sporting organisations.
Emily navigated her way unaided through the French Pyrenees and achieved her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award thanks to funding from the Nancy Ovens bursary. Read more
University student Grace Clayton complimented her summer teaching dance in the USA with a month of classes in New York. The bursary enabled her to learn from some of the most respected dance teachers in the business. Read more
Leading Scottish shotgun coach Iain is one step closer to his dream of coaching the GB team thanks to a rare training opportunity funded by the Nancy Ovens bursary. Read more
Scottish community and elite netball coach Kelda Rawlings secured the opportunity to attend the netball World Championships in Singapore in 2011. She used the bursary to access the coaching elite due to attend the event and learn lessons which can be applied back in to Scottish netball.
Natalie established the University of East London Boat Club, which serves high level athletes and coaches, and implemented a novice Learn to Row programme. Natalie has secured a fantastic opportunity to work within the U.S rowing set up. The bursary will contribute to her activities this summer which include the rowing World Cup and U23 Championships. Read more
Stephanie is a PHD student conducting research into the biomarkers of healthy ageing. Combining her studies with her love of Kata (a discipline of Karate) Stephanie used the bursary to travel to Japan to shadow one of the world’s top instructors. Read more
The Mayor’s Sports Legacy Fund, delivered by SkillsActive’s National Skills Academy, provides London volunteers with up to 75% off training to deliver a sporting legacy from the 2012 Games.
The annual Nancy Ovens Bursary, sponsored by SkillsActive, provides paid or voluntary coaches and leaders in the sector with up to £2,000 in innovative training to improve skills.
The Yorkshire and Humber Coaching Bursary, delivered by SkillsActive’s National Skills Academy, provides 60% off UKCC coaching qualifications for new and existing coaches. It is funded by Sport England Yorkshire.
SkillsActive’s Joint Investment Programme helps meet specific skills gaps in the fitness and playwork sectors using training jointly funded by the Government and employers.
SkillsActive’s Group Training Association enables small to medium sized employers to develop existing employees and recruit and train new personnel, primarily through Apprenticeships.
Activegraduates.com is a free job matching website to help employers find talented, work ready candidates from our pool of successful Future Jobs Fund participants.
Change Gear, delivered by SkillsActive’s National Skills Academy, provides support to those leaving the Armed Forces to ensure they are aware of the opportunities available to them in the sport, fitness, outdoors, playwork and caravans industries.
SkillsActive is working with experts from nine Member States on the Training 4 Volunteers project, which aims to investigate volunteering in sport and broaden ideas about education and training. It is funded by the 2010 Preparatory Action on Sport of the European Commission.
SkillsActive is leading on several projects to help deliver the competent, qualified workforce the UK needs for a successful London 2012 Games and a sustainable increase in sport and leisure participation.
SkillsActive periodically asks for feedback on sector issues to inform the work we do. You can give SkillsActive feedback by post, email or fax before the time specified on the closing date.
Learn more about SkillsActvie's current and past consultations >
SkillsActive has delivered numerous other successful programmes and projects.
Learn more about our Completed Programmes and Projects >
A volunteer coach with Birmingham City Ladies FC, Laura completed her UEFA A coaching licence.
An English Volleyball Association coach education and development officer, and England women’s performance coach, who undertook a series of visits to Italy where he worked with a volleyball club in Perugia and development centres in the region, also visiting CONI – the Italian Olympic Association.
A volunteer rugby league coach, Roger took a sabbatical from his day job to coach on a full-time voluntary basis as part of the Vale Royal School Sports Partnership in Cheshire. Roger went on leave his job to work full time in developing sport throughout schools in the region.
A swimming coach and development officer at Mansfield City Council, Glenn undertook a programme of coaching sessions with the head performance swimming coach at Loughborough University. Glenn has since gained a number of awards, and as part of Rebecca Adlington's coaching team was honoured with the Coaching Chain Award in 2008.
Read more about the 2006 Nancy Ovens Bursary award winners
A Lincolnshire U-17 and U-19 squash champion, Richard expanded his squash coaching programme with Lincolnshire primary schools.
A voluntary coach with Welsh Badminton specialising in coaching disabled athletes, Norman travelled to the Netherlands to gain experience with the disability badminton world champion and his coach.
Head of Development at Reading Rockets Basketball Club, Matt travelled to Davidson University, one of the top Basketball Colleges in the USA, to train with their head coach.
Rruns a Portsmouth-based football academy and spent a month at the Cary Soccer Association, pioneers of women’s football development, in Chicago, working alongside respected coach Brad Wellman.
A full time lecturer in the Sports Department at York College, Scott trained with and was mentored by professional coaches at the Headingley Cricket Academy before establishing a cricket academy at York College. The bursary allowed Scott to be released from his college tutoring by providing cover for him while further local funding has been found that allowed Scott to continue his involvement at Headingley for a longer period.
Head coach of Stroud Swimming club, Andrew developed his coaching skills by working with top swimming coaches Graham Bassi and John Rudd at Bournemouth Dolphins and Plymouth Leander. Andrew learnt about the club structure and management, as well as swimmer development, at some of the leading competitive clubs in the country.
A women’s football coach for Leicester City Women’s FC, Rehanne gained football coaching experience with various men’s football teams including Everton, Hull and Sunderland, in preparation for undertaking her level 4 licence.
Head Coach at Hoddesddon Swimming Club, Janet shadowed top swimming coach Chris Martin at the Scottish Institute of Sport in Stirling. This allowed her to develop her knowledge and skills in areas such as sports science, coaching philosophies and technique.
Building on the fantastic experiences of the first year, eight people from across the sector are to be given the opportunity to increase their skills through a truly innovative range of placements and experiences.
The bursary awardees and the initiatives they are undertaking to develop their skills include:
A Lincolnshire U-17 and U-19 squash champion, expanded his squash coaching programme with Lincolnshire primary schools.
A voluntary coach with Welsh Badminton specialising in coaching disabled athletes, Norman travelled to the Netherlands to gain experience with the disability badminton world champion and his coach, saying:
“In Holland and Germany they’ve been playing disabled badminton for many years. We needed to find out how they progressed their sports as we don’t need to try and reinvent that wheel. They’ve done it before us so we needed to see how they coach, see how their players work, recognise what we’ve done and where we’re at and see where we need to move forward”
Head of Development at Reading Rockets Basketball Club, Matt travelled to Davidson University, one of the top Basketball Colleges in the USA, to train with their head coach. Matt said of his experiences:
"It is most definitely when you least expect it that you learn the most, and this is so true for my trip away. After 5 days of sitting in every meeting, practice session, player room, team lunch and anywhere else they would allow me I felt like I had taken in so much information I was fit to burst!"
Rruns a Portsmouth-based football academy and spent a month at the Cary Soccer Association, pioneers of women’s football development, in Chicago, working alongside respected coach Brad Wellman.
"Working alongside an excellent coach such as Brad had given me a valuable insight into different coaching techniques and the rapid development of the game in the U.S. The trip has exceeded every expectation I had. I now have a sound knowledge of the American soccer structure supported by a number of coaching ideas, insights from elite players, coaching staff, medical directors and junior players, as well as contacts with four major educational establishments."
A full time lecturer in the Sports Department at York College, Scott trained with and was mentored by professional coaches at the Headingley Cricket Academy before establishing a cricket academy at York College.
The bursary allowed Scott to be released from his college tutoring by providing cover for him while further local funding has been found that allowed Scott to continue his involvement at Headingley for a longer period.
Head coach of Stroud Swimming club, Andrew developed his coaching skills by working with top swimming coaches Graham Bassi and John Rudd at Bournemouth Dolphins and Plymouth Leander.
Andrew learnt about the club structure and management, as well as swimmer development, at some of the leading competitive clubs in the country.
A women’s football coach for Leicester City Women’s FC, Rehanne gained football coaching experience with various men’s football teams including Everton, Hull and Sunderland, in preparation for undertaking her level 4 licence.
Head Coach at Hoddesddon Swimming Club, Janet shadowed top swimming coach Chris Martin at the Scottish Institute of Sport in Stirling.
This allowed her to develop her knowledge and skills in areas such as sports science, coaching philosophies and technique. Of the experience Janet said: "I have had a great time here at the Stirling University and have learned lots about coaching High Performance Swimmers, coaching in general and about myself.".
Aspiring young basketball coach Ben Foster from Brighton spent the summer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, coaching at various summer camps and attending the Doug Noll basketball academy, where he worked with some of America’s finest young talent. Read more
Hockey coach Duncan Parnis travelled to Australia where he took part in two projects, a coaching project at a successful Australian Hockey club, and ‘The Refugee Sports Project’ which helps children from war torn countries such as Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan who find refuge in Australia. Read more
Volleyball coach Andy Bignold from east London travelled to Patrocina, Brazil where he learned from the staff at the Catigua Tenis Club how to motivate and retain young people from low income family backgrounds. Read more
Successful swimming coach Corrine travelled to America to take part as assistant coach in two of the world's most successful clubs, where she observed and took part in the coaching schemes of a post Olympic Training Programme, working with top level athletes and their coaches. Read more
Successful swimming coach Nigel travelled to America to take part as assistant coach in two of the world's most successful clubs, where she observed and took part in the coaching schemes of a post Olympic Training Programme, working with top level athletes and their coaches. Read more
Young Athletes Training Academy head coach Rachel from Poole spent three weeks in Australia where she gained an insight into the structure of swimming from grass roots to elite level. She also had meetings with the Queensland Academy of Sport, Surfing Australia, Swimming Queensland and the Brisbane Broncos – Queensland’s most successful Rugby League team. Read more
Rutland judo coach Mike spent five weeks shadowing some of Japan’s top children’s judo coaches.
Naomi visited playwork settings in Denmark to study how children are encouraged to be part of the outdoor environment and undertake risks without being 'adulterated' in their spaces.
Tennis coach Kirsty from Scotland fast tracked her tennis coaching experience by working with a leading coach at Batchwood Tennis Centre in London on mini tennis (children under 10) and developmental squads for young players who show great potential.
Football coach Matthew from Birmigingham spent 10 days in Sweden shadowing and working with coaches so he could learn new ways to engage people in his community.
Athletics coach Malcolm from Hertfordshire visited the German national training camp run by discus world record holder and national coach Jurgen Schult so he could develop his training methods for heavy throws, such as discus shot and Hammer.
Voluntary cricket coach Alex from Cambridgeshire visited South Africa to study how cricket programs there implement ethnic minority inclusion and participation in the sport. Read more
Voluntary basketball coach Jonathan attended an International Coaches Clinic in Siberia, where he met some of the best basketball coaches in the world and worked with them on practical sessions. Read more
Playworker Steve from Milton Keynes flew to ‘World Children’s Day’ in Dusseldorf, Germany for a hands on day of learning which enabled him to bring back ideas on good practice and how to expand their facilities. Read more
Playworker Crispin from Milton Keynes visited playwork settings in Denmark to discuss how they overcome issues such as extreme weather to create natural environments for children to learn and play. Read more
SkillsActive and the Nancy Ovens Trust expect applicants to create and tailor their training to develop new and improved skills for use in their current role.
Previous successful applicants have used the bursary to take their careers to a new level by working with highly experienced individuals in their field, such as elite coaches, or by gaining experience in a new industry setting.
All training should be undertaken outside of an individual’s day to day role.
Applications for the Nancy Ovens bursary 2012 are now closed.
Find out more about some of our previous bursars:
Nancy Ovens MBE was a board member of SkillsActive’s predecessor organisation SPRITO and an enthusiastic supporter of education, training and skills development in the sector. Nancy championed work-based skills development in sport and leisure and helped make major improvements to services.
Nancy’s family, friends and colleagues established the Nancy Ovens Trust after she passed away to celebrate her work with young people.
Visit the Nancy Ovens Trust website to learn more about the trust.
For more information about the bursary please email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contact SkillsActive | Work for SkillsActive | Our Board | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
SkillsActive UK is a registered charity no. 1098336 and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales no. 4661021, registered office Castlewood House, 77-91 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1DG.
© 2013 SkillsActive
