Women in Coaching Advisory Committee
The UKA Women in Coaching Advisory Committee was formed in 2010 and met for the first time in June. The group is tasked primarily with contributing to the development of a strategy for women in coaching initiatives; to make recommendations with regards women specific programming; to provide a voice for female coaches, and to form another key strand of UKA-led Year of the Coach activity in 2010.
The key long term objective of the Committee is to help create opportunities for female coaches to raise the standard, number and profile of female coaches working with athletes at every level.
Beth Harris (Committee Chair)
Beth is Chair of Stevenage and North Herts AC and is a Level 3 Pole Vault Coach working with regionally ranked athletes from U13 beginners to U17/U20. She has been coaching since 2001. Beth is a UKA Senior Tutor for Coach and Teacher Education and is also a qualified UKA Level 1 Officials Tutor. She was the former Chair of the East Region Council for England Athletics and her current professional role is as Sports Academy Manager for Newham 6th Form College (NewVic).
Elaine McCaffrey (Northern Ireland Representative)
Elaine is the Talent Development Coach for Athletics Northern Ireland and is in charge of developing athletic talent from 12-17yrs within her Rising Stars and Youth Academy (YA) Programmes. She has been coaching regularly since 2003 and is currently a Level 3 Performance Coach (Sprints/Hurdles). Within her new role at Athletics NI she has been involved with writing the new Coaching and Athlete Development Strategies up to 2013, devising and delivering new coaching workshops to up skill current coaches as well as tutoring and mentoring.
Alison Potts (England Representative)
Alison is a qualified Level 2 jumps and throws coach. She has worked for England athletics for four years. Originally Alison was the East Regional Administrator and following the restructure became Education Coordinator for South Area. Alison now holds the post of Event & Project Coordinator and since October 2009 she has been the Project Manager for the Women in Coaching Project for England Athletics.
Satu Haikala (Wales Representative)
Satu is a Level 2 UKA coach for Endurance and works for Welsh Athletics 2 days a week as Mid Wales Network Officer based at home. She is also a Primary School Teacher, with a special interest in PE. Satu works closely with Brecon Athletics Club coaching with the junior development groups. She still competes at endurance events in the master’s age groups and has team-managed cross country teams at club and national level.
Julie Wyatt (Scotland Representative)
Currently working for scottishathletics as Regional Development Manager for the Highland and Islands, Julie has been involved in Athletics since the age of 9, competing as a junior international athlete and latterly as a Level 2 multidisciplinary coach. She has a special interest in the athletics development having successfully completed a BA (Hons) in Sports Studies and having developed HIPPO in the north of Scotland.
Charlotte Fisher
Charlotte’s experience of coaching was ignited as a student, where as Women’s Captain of Oxford University Track & Field Team she found herself assisting fellow sportswomen with their training. She has recently completed her Level 4 Endurance qualification and coaches at Taunton AC. Her group of athletes range from club level through to national standard. She works within Sports Development for the Somerset Activity & Sports Partnership and is Network Co-ordinator & Community Coach for the Somerset McCain Athletics Network.
Fiona Robertson
Fiona has been involved in athletics as an athlete since the age of 9 and started coaching in 2007 by taking the LiRF course. She is currently a Level 2 coach (Endurance, Speed, Throws and Jumps) and runs 3 after school clubs from ages 5-11. She also runs and coaches senior sprint training for Sleaford Rugby Football Club.
Vicky Huyton
Vicky is a Level 2 Sprints Coach and is also an athlete, official, committee member and Club Welfare Officer for her Club, Blackpool Wyre and Fylde AC. She won England Athletics North West Coach of the year in 2008. Vicky’s full time role is a Sports Development Officer which allows her to work alongside and support other coaches.
Emily Parker
Since January 2010, Emily has Coach for Horizontal Jumps at Loughborough with mentor Derek Evely. As part of this role she is involved with collecting and editing information that is uploaded to the UCoach website which also included being interviewed herself about Skill Acquisition in Athletics. Alongside this role, Emily also works as Assistant Coach to Nick Dakin with the 400m hurdles group. She also currently teaches on the Sports & Exercise Science degree at Loughborough University.
Carol Jackson
Carol is a level 4 High Jump Coach, on the Development Programme and has been coaching High Jump for the past 35 years. During that time she has worked with developing athletes from U15 to Senior level and has taken 7 athletes to World or European Junior Championships. She has also been meeting Director for Bedford International Games (BIG) for the past 16 years.