Talent Development Routes

Contents Performance Pyramid Case Study- England Hockey Player Pathway Talent Identification Criticisms of Talent ID Supporting Development Performance Pathway- UK Sport Case Study- Australian system Australian High performance strategy Australia compared to the UK Case Study- Former East German system

Performance Pyramid Elite Performance Participation Foundation Elite NGBs will focus their resources upon those in (or with potential to be in) Elite stage as they strive for recognition, funding based on success and media coverage to develop their sport. Performance Fewer numbers involved as you move up, potential Elite performers will be identified and support provided. Participation Players focus on fewer activities at a basic competitive level Foundation Attempt to supply a broad base through Grass-roots initiatives focusing on mass participation in schools and communities. Elite Performance Participation Foundation

Case Study England Hockey- Player Pathway Players will go through a process of Talent identification at each stage within the Pathway NGBs will have finite amount of resources and so need to use it in the “best” way.

Talent Identification (Talent ID) Having a large foundation won’t help unless there is a way of finding those with enough talent to make it to the top. NGBs have primary function to put this in place.- They will work with local authorities, schools and clubs to create a model which works for them Obviously this isn’t an exact science, attempting to judge someone on future potential is a very challenging process with no guarantee of success. As players progress through Talent ID they will be given access to… Opportunities to play at a higher level with structured layers of competition Representative structure- County, Regional, National, International Development squads to give them high quality coaching and training Financial support- Professionalisation Sports Science and medical support

Criticisms of Talent ID Use of physiological data to select youngsters favoured those who had developed early. Use of current performance levels as an indicator favoured those who had best opportunities- supportive parents, specialist coaching at school etc. Few used any psychological testing despite the links to progression and retention. Emphasis on success leads to confusion between current performance and talent (potential). Physiological data prioritised by some activities- Is this truly representative of their sport NFL Draft combine Who would you pick?

Supporting development There are many stakeholders within TIPs, all with separate responsibility within the process… NGBs Overall responsibility for development of a specific sport Þ Identify and select performers for WCP, APA and TASS Þ Appoint performance directors Þ Train High –level coaches in their own sport Þ Develop National training squads and competitions UK Sport Overall responsibility for development of elite sport Þ Distributes lottery funding Þ World Class performance programme Þ World Class Events programmes Þ Promotes drug-free sport Þ Research and innovation English Institute of Sport Excellence institutes located around the country Þ Sports Science/Medicine support Þ Performance-lifestyle support Þ Top quality training facilities Þ Talent ID assessments Þ Top quality coaches and elite level training squads British Olympic Association Independent Voice for British Olympic sport Þ Work with NGBs to select Team GB Þ Runs British Olympic medical institute Þ Provide Olympic training centre and preparation camp Þ Provide Olympic and Paralympic Employment network (OPEN) Sports Coach UK “Great Coaches for Sport” To improve quality of coaching on a national scale Þ Attempting to create wold class coaching strategy Þ UK Coaching certificates Þ UK Coaching hierarchy– Advanced and Master coaches Þ Provision of development officers

Performance Pathway- UK Sport World class Podium Support sports and athletes with realistic medal capabilities at Olympic Games, or realistic gold medal capabilities at Paralympic Games, and are a maximum of four years away from the podium.  World class Podium Potential Supports sports and athletes that have demonstrated realistic medal winning capabilities for future Olympic or Paralympic Games. Athletes at PP level are typically four to six years away from the podium. Performance Foundations Home Nation Talent Pathways where highly talented athletes are first identified, confirmed and prepare. Athletes at PF level have the potential to graduate to Podium Potential within 1-4 years.

Case Study- Australian system Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) High Performance Strategy (Formerly known as Winning Edge until December 2017) Winning Edge video Aims to deliver…. Consistent and sustainable success for Australian athletes and teams on the world stage Greater levels of accountability for performance results Improved governance structures and contemporary reporting and monitoring of performance Engaging, uniting, inspiring and motivating all Australians.

Australia: High performance strategy Athlete Classification -Identify the athletes with the greatest potential to contribute to Australia's high performance targets -Track their performance over time -Inform the prioritisation of support to these athletes Sport Classification Foundation Prospective Iconic National Other More investment the more likely they are to win medals Effective Governance Board composition Transparency Structure Winning Edge fails to deliver

Australia: Comparison with UK Australia’s Winning Edge strategy was modelled on UK Sport’s model, deemed “brutal but effective”. Both targeted successful sports and reduced funding or even axed unsuccessful programs. Why has this been less successful in Australia? UK funds the majority of its high-performance sport programs through its national lottery system. Increase amount of money available Removes some pressure of “return on investment” By excluding less obvious sports, Winning Edge reduced the number of events Australia had an opportunity to medal in at Rio 2016. Australia’s biggest medal haul was at the Sydney 2000 Games (58), where the nation was represented in 20 sports. In Rio, only 12 sports contributed to the final medal haul, including unexpected medals from shooting, archery and modern pentathlon - sports not targeted under Winning Edge.

Case Study: Former East German System The government saw success of elite athletes as a key element to political propaganda Talent Identification was an integral part of PE curriculum… Every child would be tested with the results recorded and screened by government officials Selected children would attend a “training centre” several times a week for up to 3 years Children would be continually monitored and then if deemed worthy would be entered into a Children and Youth Sport school (KJS) Spartakiad festivals helped to motivate as well as acting as Talent ID

East Germany: KJS Schools “Children and Youth Sport schools” Initially set up in 1952 and directly supervised by the Ministry of Education and State Aimed to bridge the gap between “mass participation” and the production of sporting champions Given increased time for Physical activity, over 10 hours per week Given specialist activities to spend even further time on “Encouraged” to join local sports club

East Germany: Controversy Whilst it appeared to the outside that they were aiming to encourage Mass participation the whole agenda was political and about developing the best elite athletes Centres of Excellence were created with top Scientists recruited to push the boundaries of Sports Science- Particularly what was legal/ethical “Talented” Children were taken away from their parents at a young age, reducing parental influence so they would be more amenable to do whatever they were asked to do. State Plan 14.25 Secret government programme to develop more efficient doping techniques Thought they were taking vitamins but were actually being given steroids Leading to many long term health issues Heidi Krieger received so much testosterone that she had a sex change and is now known as Andreas Krieger.