Development and Performance

What is the Regional Development Programme?

The Regional Development Program is the first stage of the Throws Development Pathway. At this stage in the pathway Athletes and Coaches will be invited to attend regional development days throughout the year led by the Throws Leads.

What opportunities are available if I am invited onto the Regional Development Programme?

If invited to be part of the Regional Development programme you will be expected to attend 3 Regional Development Days between September and March. You will also be invited to train at Regional Hub sessions that will take place once a month under the guidance of regional coaches.

What age groups does the Regional Development Programme target?

Athletes must be in the upper U15 and U17 age groups (or school years 9-11) to be invited onto the programme.

How do I get onto the Regional Development Program?

Entry on to the Regional programme will be via an invite from the Regional Lead. The following will be taken into consideration when selecting for the programme:

•             Power of 10 ranking – Top 75

•             Performances both club and schools

•             Recommendation by teacher or coach

•             Discretion of lead on throws

What will I expect at a Regional Development day?

The Regional Days are led by the Regional Throws Coordinator and the Regional Support Coaches. 

The Regional Development Program (RDP) is designed to give young athletes the basic grounding in technical and mechanical proficiencies. This will be underpinned by athlete first skills and educated on specific technical movements with the vision of building a physically robust junior athlete. The RDP will retain a large focus on attending coaches as they are provided with specific throws technical CPD and wider support service information. 

The Regional Development Program will sit below the National Program and will have invite criteria built around the attendance. The RDP will create an effective learning environment for athletes, coaches and parents as they are key to young athletes’ development and longevity in the sport. The regional development will touch upon key factors such as lifestyle, nutrition and mental resilience factors for both coaches and parents.

How do Regional Hub sessions work?

The Regional Hub sessions will take place at various locations around the region each month (apart from a month where there is a Regional Development Day).

Can coaches and parents attend the Regional Days?

Coaches are key to the success of throws across the development pathway. Coaches will be personally invited to attend all regional days and coach development will be aligned with the coach development strategy. The regional days and regional hubs also provide an opportunity for coaches to network and share ideas and good practice. 

Parents are also encouraged to attend the Regional development days. The information and skills picked up by athletes will be better transferred into every-day life with the support of parents.

East Wales                                       

Lead – Josh Clark (eastthrows@welshathletics.org)

Next Regional Development Day: 28th September

Next Regional Hub Session:  TBC

South Wales

Lead –  Lucy Griffiths (souththrows@welshathletics.org)    

Next Regional Development Day: 28th September

Next Regional Hub Session:  TBC

North Wales

Lead – Warwick Patterson (norththrows@welshathletics.org)  

Next Regional Development Day: 28th and 29th September (around the Final Fling event)

Next Regional Hub Session:  TBC

West Wales

Lead – Pedr Roberts (westthrows@welshathletics.org)

Next Regional Development Day: 29th September

Next Regional Hub Session:  TBC

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (NDP)?

The National Development Programme is the second step along the performance development pathway and focuses on the top performing young athletes aged between 16-19 across Wales. The programme is underpinned by an Athlete competency framework and follows a 2-year curriculum which aims to provide athletes and their coaches with the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to continue their progression in the sport of Athletics.

 Programme Aims:

• To facilitate the smooth transfer of talented Junior athletes to the Senior ranks
• To provide a structured programme that addresses the Physical skills, performance behaviours and mental attributes of Welsh athletes
• To support coaches of talented athletes to create excellence in the daily training environments
• To increase the number of Welsh Athletics athletes at the England Athletics Championships and on U20 Great Britain teams

Applications:

Welsh Athletics National Developement Application Pack 2022-23

For more information on NDP click here.

What is the Welsh Futures Programme?

This programme focuses on the highest performing Junior national development athletes within Throws disciplines in Wales. The programme aims to provide more bespoke and detailed support to an athlete identified as having the potential to perform at a UK national and international level.

How do I get onto the Welsh Futures Programme?

• Athletes must be 16 or above or in the U20 and U23 age groups to be eligible for the Welsh Futures Programme
• Athletes must achieve one of the age group time standards set out by the Welsh Athletics Performance team * – See link for time standards
• Athletes who achieve GB international honours.

What benefits do I receive being on the Welsh Futures Programme?

The following support will be available to Welsh Futures athletes as agreed between the athlete-coach pairing and the National Talent Development Coordinator:

• Lab-based support and field testing
• Nutritional Support Work
• Medical management and Strength and Conditioning support programme: Implement the right pro-active support to minimise injury and lead on all functional and strength and conditioning requirements
• Warm weather camps: An opportunity to join Senior athletes on warm weather training and altitude camps as set out by the performance team.
• Support for entry and travel to agreed races in the UK and abroad (To be agreed with the performance team).
• Athlete and coach meetings with the National Talent Development Coordinator to discuss individual progress and sport science support x 3 a year.