UK School Games : The faces behind the games

What is your role in the delivery of the UKSG? I am the Director of Sport at the Youth Sport Trust – this role includes setting the strategic direction for development activity which is focused on increasing participation, broadening opportunities to lead and volunteer and improving performance within PE and school sport. The UK School Games provides a wonderful catalyst for so much of our work underpinning this objective and hence a significant element of my role is to ensure that the 6 development themes of the UK School Games are as much a part of the initiative as the 4 day events itself. My team lead on various ‘legacy elements’ such as: - Team Managers Orientation - UKSG Official Schools Supporters Programme - UKSG Champion Ambassadors - Development of Competition pathways from school sport to UKSG qualification - Development of young leaders, officials and event volunteers At present I also chair the UKSG Operations Group and UKSG Home Country Steering Group. While Will Roberts is the UK School Games Development Manager, and is the main YST contact on the event, I am the senior manager with responsibility and accountability. I work closely with Mark Atkinson, the YST Policy & Communications Director, who obviously works closely with Fast Track on the media and PR Why is Bristol and Bath such a good place to host the games? Both Cities have solid sporting traditions – Bath hosted the European Youth Olympics in 1996 and has built a 10 year sports development legacy off the back of that event. There is a good range of facilities across the 2 cities with the £30 million Sports Training Village at the University of Bath being home to many Team GB athletes and National Governing Body (NGB) performance programmes. UWE and Filton College provide a hub in Bristol with some excellent facilities and links into the student workforce to support the UKSG Volunteer crew. Both cities are absolutely committed to the development of a community legacy and parallel cultural festival (and together are hosting a complementary Community Development Programme) Did you play sport at school? Yes….everything and anything. I played National League netball….until I joined the YST!!! What sports are you looking forward to watching at the UKSG? All of them….if I said anything different my colleagues and friends in the sports would eat me alive!! Every sport is working hard with Fast Track to ensure that the level of event presentation is as good as it can be and many sports have plans to improve the spectator experience and enhance audience appeal – it should be very exciting ! As this is the first year for hockey at the UKSG, I will be particularly interested to see how an ‘outdoor’ sport is presented. Do you have any message to those competing in the UKSG? Make the most of every minute – if this is likely to be the pinnacle of your sporting career, be proud of your achievements in being selected: really soak up the atmosphere, enjoy it and make time to talk to others….you could make some lifelong friends at this event! If this is a stepping stone on your journey to higher performance, then come prepared to not only focus on your performance, but be ready to learn from every experience. These Games will provide you with a wonderful insight into the challenges of competing at a major multi sport championships. The Games will provide you with an opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding about sport at the highest level as well as allowing you to learn lessons that could benefit you in your future sporting career….make sure you reflect on your experiences to gain the most!