development of elite performers in sport

• Talent Identification


  The multi-disciplinary screening of athletes in order to identify those with the potential for world class success.
• Elite


  The best, highest level sports performers at 'excellence' level.
• Personal Qualities


  The attributes and personally characteristics of an individual person.
• Mentor


  An individual who helps and guides another person's development.
• Socio-economic status


  An individual's position in the social structure, which depends on their job, level of income and area the y live in.
• Sexism


  Discrimination on the basis of sex/gender.
• Sports equity


  Fairness in sport; equality of access for all; recognizing inequalities in sport and taking steps to address them.
• National Governing Body (NGB)


  An organization which has responsibility for managing its own particular sport (e.g. England Netball or Football Association)
• Whole Sport Plan


  A business plan/document submitted to Sport England outlining National Governing Body (NGB) strategies to increase participation and enhance talent in the sport they are responsible for.
• Performance Pathway Team


  A combination of EIS and UK Sport expertise used to identify and develop world-class talent.
• Identify the psychological qualities you feel are necessary for an individual to develop as an elite performer.


  • Clear focus/goals to achieve/goal-orientated

  • Patient

  • Dedicated/committed/self-disciplined

  • Determined to succeed

  • High levels of self-motivation

  • High levels of confidence/self-efficacy

  • Highly resilient

  • Ability to control arousal

  • Ability to accept feedback

  • Mentally tough/high pain tolerance
• Identify the socio-cultural factors which encourage the development of elite performers and improve the chance of UK athletes winning medals at the Olympics.

  Socio-cultural factors include:

  • level of media coverage/status of sport/role models to aspire to

  • equal opportunities policies/anti discriminatory practice/sports equity

  • a positive educational experience, e.g. at school/FE college/university

  • access to specialist clubs to develop sporting talents (e.g. via high-quality facilities; top level coaching)

  • support from family/friends/peers

  • social class/socio-economic status
• Describe the role of UK Sport in elite performer development.

  • Works on a strategy to increase sporting excellence in the UK

  • Manages/distributes National Lottery/World Class Programme funding/Athlete Performance Awards

  • Promotes ethical behaviour at the highest level

  • Works to attract major sporting events to the UK, e.g. via the Gold Events Series

  • Manages the UK's sporting relationships with other countries, e.g. via the International Voice Programme

  • Talent ID role

  • Helps sports performers develop a positive lifestyle suitable for elite sport; provides Performance Lifestyle Advice, e.g. via EIS

  • Funds/supports the work of the national institutes of sport

  • Supports the development of elite-level coaches, e.g. via World Class Coaches
• England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have national institutes of sport. Describe how these national institutes are aiding the development of the UK's elite athletes.

  • Sport science (e.g. biomechanics/performance

  analysis) and sport medicine support (e.g. medical screening/podiatry)

  • Performance Lifestyle Programmes

  • Organisations working in partnership (e.g. EIS and UK Sport)

  • Research and innovation (providing the latest advances in technology)

  • Top-quality facilities to train in and high-level coaches provided
• Identify ways in which a NGB can help to ensure the development of elite performers.

  • Via Talent ID programmes/regional scouts

  • By providing funding and making decisions on distributing funding, e.g. UK Sport WCPP funding/Athlete Performance Awards

  • By liaising with other organisations involved in elite performer development, e.g. UK Sport/EIS, and providing talent identification programmes

  • By providing high-quality coaching/top-class facilities to train in, e.g. via national centres such as the FA's centre in Burton

  • By providing Performance Lifestyle Advice

  • By increasing the numbers participating in the sport and potentially increasing the talent pool

  • By providing structured levels of competition

  • By providing development squads from local through regional and onto national levels

  • By successful submission and implementation of its Whole Sport Plan

  • By developing and applying equal opportunities policies
• Identify the key objectives UK Sport aims to achieve through its Gold Event Series.

  • Supporting high-performance success

  • Creating high-profile opportunities for people to engage in sport

  • Using and demonstrating the legacy of London 2012 and Glasgow 2014

  • Driving positive economic and social impacts for the UK
• Identify the social and cultural factors which encourage the development of elite performers and improve the chance of UK athletes winning medals in the Olympics.

  Level of media coverage/status of sport/role models to aspire to.

  Equal opportunities policies/anti-discriminatory practice/sports equity.

  A positive educational experience e.g. at school.

  Access to specialist clubs to develop sporting talents via high quality facilities and coaching.

  Support from family and friends.

  Social class.
• The home nations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have National Institutes of Sport. Identify five ways in which these National Institutes are aiding the development of the UK's elite athletes.


  Sport science e.g. biomechanics, performance analysis and sports medicine.

  Performance lifestyle programmes are provided.

  Organisations work in partnership such as EIS and UK Sport.

  Research and innovation provides the latest advances in tech.

  Top quality facilities and coaches.
• Identify three key objectives UK Sport aims to achieve through its Gold Event Series.


  Supporting high performance success.

  Creating high profile opportunities for people to engage in sport.

  Use and demonstrate the legacy of London 2012.

  Drive positive economic and social impacts for the UK.
• Describe the four key phases of UK Sport's Talent recruitment programmes.

  Campaigns start with 'talent search' which can involve the general public or sports community.

  Interested athletes invited to submit application form to UK Sport for them to consider.

  Successful applicants invited to phase 1 testing e.g. fitness and skills linked to the sport.

  Results from phase 1 influence progression onto phases 2 and 3 which further assess an athlete's suitability for a sport via medical screening, performance lifestyle workshops and psychological assessments.
• Key personal factors and qualities needed to develop as an elite performer

  Commitment and self-discipline.

  Determination, single-minded, mentally tough.

  Highly motivated, desire to achieve set goals.

  WIlling to self-sacrifice.

  High pain tolerance.

  High levels of confidence.

  Highly skilled physically, natural ability.

  High level of physical fitness.

  Good communication skills.
• Social and cultural factors necessary to develop as an elite performer

  Highly supportive family/high socio-economic status.

  Evidence of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice within a sport.

  High quality, supportive educational provision.

  Structured levels of competition to progress through.

  High levels of media coverage and role models to aspire to.
• List the three organisations that are important when considering talent identification and elite performer progression.

  UK Sport

  English Institute of Sport

  NGB's
• UK Sport - providing support and progression from talent ID through to elite performance


  Developing high-performance sport in the UK by implementing strategies to achieve sporting excellence.

  Strategically invest and distribute national lottery funding to maximise performance in Olympics and Paralympics.

  Provide funding to NGB's.

  Provide funding to athletes.
• National institutes of sport - providing support and progression from talent ID through to elite performance


  E.g. EIS - network of high performance centres across England, providing a range of services to elite performers. Subsidiary of UK sport.

  Science, medicine and technology.
• NGB's - providing support and progression from talent ID through to elite performance


  Promote and increase participation.

  Regional scouts and talent ID schemes.

  Lifestyle support, competition, development squads.

  Decide who should receive funding to help them develop and progress e.g. provide coaches and facilities.
• Key features of a NGB's Whole Sport Plan

  Lottery funded.

  Approved by Sport England.

  Increase participation, develop talent.

  How it is achieved.
• Why are talent ID programmes important?

  All potential performers screened.

  Performers directed to sports to suit their talents.

  Development process accelerated as a result of information gained.

  Efficient use of available funding.

  Chances of producing medallists improved.

  Co-ordinated approach between organisations between NGB's, EIS, UK Sport.
• Disadvantages of Talent ID programmes

  May miss late developers.

  Require high levels of funding.

  Require large numbers to be tested to be of use.

  No guarentees of success.

  Many sports in competition for same talent pool, high profile sports may attract more performers or best performers.
• Important areas for support for identifying and nurturing talent according to EIS.

  Pathway Frontline Technical Solutions - meet specific needs of each sport when identifying and developing talent.

  Pathway Education - provides educational opportunities for development coaches, covering a variety of topics linked to elite performer development.

  Pathway Analytics - provide meaningful measures of the effectiveness of pathways by using a range of diagnostic tools.

  Performance Pathway Health Check - Evaluation of current systems and practices for supporting the development of potential medal winners in any given sport. Long-term vision and dstrategy for elite development, considering coaching and training environments.

  Pathway strategy - assist sports to develop and put in place a clear progressive pathway from podium foundations level to podium level.
• Ultimate aim of support services provided by national institutes of sport

  Identify new athletes with clear sporting potential, help them progress onto the World Class system and successfully represent the UK in major international sporting events.
• No Compromise' funding philosophy used by UK Sport.

  Raise standards of performance by providing funding to athletes deemed to have the best chance of success.
• 2 levels of the World Class Pathway

  Podium - support athletes with realistic medal-winning capabilities at the next Olympics/Paralympics. NGB's receive funding from UK Sport and National Lottery to offer financial support to a selected group of performers via WCPP.

  Podium potential - support athletes whose performances suggest they have realistic medal-winning capabilities at Olympic/Paralympic games, a maximum of 8 years from the Podium.
• Gold Event Series


  UK Sport flagship programme to bring 100 major international sporting events to UK during 10 years of operating e.g. World Athletics Championships at Olympic Stadium in 2017.

  Business plan to attract World Championships, financial support.
• Objectives of UK Sport in staging major international events in the UK

  Support high-performance success.

  Create high-profile opportunities for people to engage in sport.

  Use and demonstrate the legacy of London 2012.

  Drive positive and ecoomic social impacts for the UK.
• What is talent identification?

  Multi disciplinary screening of athletes, in order to identify those who have the potential for world class success
• What are personal qualities?

  Attributes and personality characteristics of an individual person
• What is an elite athlete?

  The best, high level performers at excellence level
• What makes a successful performer?

  Performer who is goal orientated

  Must have specific short term goals and achievable targets

  Important mentors

  Clear focus

  Prevent distractions

  Patience

  Dedication

  Self confidence
• What qualities are needed to develop an elite performer?

  Commitment and self discipline

  Determination to succeed and well as being single minded and mentally tough

  Highly motivated

  Self sacrifice

  High pain tolerance

  Self confidence

  High physical skill

  High fitness level