Practitioner Programme To Evolve Under EIS

by Jessica Whitehorn, UK Sport, 30.04.09

UK Sport has announced that the responsibility for the future delivery and development of their Fast-track Practitioner Programme (FPP) is to be entrusted to the English Institute of Sport (EIS).

The FPP - which operates in partnership with all of the home country sports institutes, the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations and the sports’ national governing bodies - aims to assist in the training and development of young sport science and medicine practitioners who are starting out on their careers within elite sport. Participants have backgrounds in the disciplines of physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, physiology, nutrition, performance analysis, psychology, biomechanics, talent identification, performance lifestyle and research. The FPP is a challenging and innovative professional development programme consisting of a series of workshops as well as close on-the-job support from a suitably qualified mentor.

Since its inception five years ago, 86 young sports scientists and medics have completed the one year development programme, and a further 22 are due to graduate in September this year. The FPP has been managed by UK Sport throughout this period and a considerable number of practitioners currently employed within the UK high performance system have benefited from the programme, as evidenced by the results published in the FPP impact report in September 2008. The report indicated that the FPP had achieved significant impact within its original remit of providing an accelerated development opportunity to young sport science and medicine practitioners hoping to make their mark in elite sport.

As we have now entered a new Olympiad and sharpened the strategic focus of UK Sport, the decision has been taken to transfer the responsibility for the delivery of the FPP to the EIS. In the EIS’s role as the primary developer of sport science and medicine practitioners, this transfer will allow further development to build on the success of the programme.

UK Sport’s Director of Performance, Peter Keen, said: “We are very proud of the contribution that the FPP has made to date to the development of young practitioners working in elite sport. The EIS will now be empowered to deliver and develop the programme. As with all its investments, UK Sport will not only monitor progress but also work closely with the EIS to maximise the FPP’s impact on the UK high performance system. The key to its future success will be the opportunity for all of the Home Country Sport Institutes (HCSIs) and our partner organisations to continue to participate and contribute, and the alignment of the programme to accommodate the changing needs of the high performance sports system.”

EIS National Director Conor O’Shea, said:

“We are pleased to be welcoming the FPP under the EIS. We have supported a great number of practitioners through the programme, delivering fantastic expertise within high performance sport as they develop. Our commitment to the ongoing development of world class practitioners in sport science and medicine is vital in ensuring we build the best team to support sports in their aim of delivering the best performances from their athletes and we will continue to work closely with UK Sport and the other home country sport institutes in order to achieve this.”

The start date for the next FPP intake has been changed from October 2009 to January 2010. Further updates on the programme for 2010 will be published on the UK Sport website from July 2009.

Photography © SW pix