UK Coaching Annual Review 2018-2019 UK Coaching Annual Review 2018-2019 | Page 6

Introduction from
the Chair and CEO
I am delighted to have joined
UK Coaching as Chairman in
July. Throughout my life, I
have seen from first-hand
experience, the power that
coaches have to change lives.
This year, whether it was
an amazing Ashes innings;
a world record breaking
performance in the pool; or
the heart stopping efforts of
the stars of the FIFA Women’s
World Cup, sport has lifted the
mood of the nation.
But behind a Ben Stokes
six; Adam Peaty gold; and
Steph Houghton goal, stands
dedicated and talented
coaches, without whom these
triumphs would never have
been achieved.
But increasingly, Great
Coaching is vital to the nation
for many reasons which go
well beyond the beauty and
brilliance of elite sport. We
now look to Great Coaching
to be a force for good in
our communities – tackling
inactivity; improving health;
cutting crime, and playing an
essential part in improving
the lives of millions.
It is my profound belief that
coaches will increasingly
be recognised for being a
force for good in our society
alongside our nurses, police
and soldiers.
Their sense of public duty
to help individuals, teams
and communities must be
harnessed, encouraged and
honoured more and more in
the future than it has been in
the past.
We at UK Coaching, working
closely with our many
partners, must strive to be
at the forefront of driving
forward the development,
improvement and growth of
coaching at every level.
Our organisation has gone
through much change
under the oversight of my
predecessor Gillian Wilmot
and her board, and through
the leadership of our CEO
Mark Gannon and his
executive team. I would like
to thank them all for the
passion, commitment and
energy they bring to our
work.
For UK Coaching to be
relevant in the fast-changing
digital environment of today,
we must continue to evolve at
pace. Our role is to support
coaches to be the best they
can be. In order to do that, we
must be the best we can be.
I look forward to working
with our board, our staff and
everyone else who shares our
passion to meet this challenge.
Atholl Duncan
Chair