Coaches Head to Parliament for Landmark Roundtable on Future of Coaching in the UK
News by UK Coaching
UK Coaching and UK Sport will bring together MPs, peers, elite performance leaders and grassroots coaches next week for a landmark Parliamentary Roundtable examining the vital role coaching plays across the UK’s sporting system.
The Parliamentary Roundtable session, hosted by Henry Tufnell MP, will take place on Tuesday 9 December in Portcullis House, and will spotlight the contribution coaches make to both national sporting success and community wellbeing.
The event will feature coaches from across the performance pathway, including Olympic, professional and community leaders. Confirmed speakers include:
- Sarah Hunter MBE – Red Roses Defence Coach and England’s most capped player
- Giselle Mather – Head Coach, GB Women’s Rugby Sevens
- Adam Elliott – Olympic Performance Coach, British Triathlon
- Roddy Slater – Former international sprinter and UK Coaching Community Coach of the Year
- Louis Annan – Founder, Let’s Get Active (community basketball)
- Hannah Vines – Dorney Boat Club Rowing Manager and Former Head Coach, London Youth Rowing.
The roundtable will explore how coaching underpins the UK’s High Performance System, supports the physical and mental wellbeing of communities, and provides positive pathways for young people across the country. Attendees will discuss opportunities to strengthen coach development, improve duty of care, and ensure coaches are supported to thrive in increasingly complex environments.
Mark Gannon, CEO of UK Coaching, said:
Coaches change lives. They inspire confidence, break down barriers to participation and help young people and adults thrive. This roundtable is a crucial opportunity to help parliamentarians understand the realities coaches face, and the support needed to ensure coaching remains a powerful force for good across the UK.”
Danny Kerry, Coaching Lead at UK Sport, said:
Behind every medal and every moment of national sporting pride is a skilled, supported and dedicated coach. Sustaining the UK’s high-performance success depends on a world-class coaching system. We welcome the chance to share insight with MPs and discuss how coaching can be strengthened across the pathway.”
Chair of the roundtable Henry Tufnell, MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, added:
Coaches are the backbone of British sport – from grassroots clubs keeping communities active to the teams delivering Olympic and Paralympic success. I’m delighted to host this conversation in Parliament and ensure their voices are heard.”
The session will run from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, with a transcript and follow-up briefing circulated to parliamentarians.
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