EIS Take On Strategic Role For PL

by Rebecca Roberts 14.08.09

UK Sport has announced that the English Institute of Sport (EIS) will take on the strategic development for the Performance Lifestyle support service, having played a key role in delivering the service across elite sport since the programme’s inception.

In line with their strategy of positioning the EIS as the strategic developer for Sport Science & Sport Medicine, UK Sport has transferred responsibility for the programme to the EIS and will invest in its ongoing delivery through the Home Country Sports Institutes (HCSIs).

 Performance Lifestyle (PL) is an individualised personal and professional development service for the high performance environment. Performance Lifestyle practitioners, trained specifically for this unique role, support athletes in developing specific skills to manage the demands of high performance and transferable competencies to sustain their success beyond competition.  

“Performance Lifestyle is recognised as a significant part of the performance package offered to Olympic and Paralympic sports” says John Steele.

“As part of the preparation for the London 2012 Games, UK Sport will be investing close to £900,000 a year into performance lifestyle, to be delivered through the home country sports institutes, transferring all responsibility for the programme to the EIS as the strategic developer for the support service” he adds. 

Having delivered the service, working closely with UK Sport and the HCISs for a number of years, the EIS hopes to ensure ongoing success within the service. 

“The financial commitment from UK Sport has provided an important message to athletes that their personal and professional development is regarded as a valued and necessary part of their competitive lives. Practically this commitment has also provided the EIS with the foundation to work in partnership with sports to provide the practitioner skills and resources required to meet their specific demands” says EIS Head of Performance Lifestyle, Nick Slade.

“The EIS PL team has now grown significantly in its capacity and capability to add value in the performance environment and having the strategic responsibility from UK Sport for Performance Lifestyle is both a testament to our continued development of this service to date, but also a reflection of the commitment to continue to deliver world leading performance-impacting support services over the coming cycle” he adds.

The transfer will take place later this year, with ongoing collaboration between HCSI’s in the provision of PL across elite sports. The EIS is also committed to continue engaging in strategic partnerships with the professional sports in order to continue to share best practice in the pursuit of supporting the people behind the performance and to drive the discipline forward. 

Photography © Getty Images