SASSOT welcomes 2 new staff members

Alex Bedford – Coaching Development Manager

Hi, my name is Alex Bedford. I have recently been appointed as Coaching Development Manager for SASSOT. I started on the 9^th May and am working 18.5 hours per week. I am really excited about working with one of the leading County Sports Partnerships in the Country and look forward to supporting coaches to develop across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent has a Coaching Delivery Plan which is due to run up till September 2017. It will be my responsibility to support the delivery of this plan. My priorities are to:

• Facilitate a cross-sport talent development coaching network
• Define the learning from 3 key projects which have utilised a local delivery partner to recruit and develop frontline coaches to provide meaningful activity experiences to under-represented groups. The local delivery partners are Sporting Communities, Engage Communities and the NHS
• Review and re-establish the Women Make Coaching Network Group and its relationship with the REACH Campaign
• Explore a coordinated apprenticeship programme across a range of key partners

I hope my experience in the Sports Development and Coaching Sector will support me within this role. I have two other roles that I will be fulfilling outside of this new position.

I currently volunteer with SPORTED as a Business Mentor in the West Midlands Region. SPORTED are one of the leading Sport for Development charities in the UK who support community clubs and groups that use the power of sport to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people. This role has given me a good understanding of working with community groups and developed my mentoring skills.

I am also a Director of Active Lives Education who aim to inspire physically active and healthy lives through providing Sports, Health, Fitness and Performing Arts related activities within schools and local communities. As part of this role I have a good understanding of primary school sport and employing, deploying and developing sports coaches within education and community settings.

Prior to my role as Director, I was the Chief Operating Officer at Cheshire FA. In this role I was responsible for Facilities and Investment, Education and Training, and Participation Development. I covered a wide range of disciplines within Cheshire FA which gave me a good understanding across a variety of disciplines including coach and volunteer development.

I have also worked as a college lecturer, coach mentor, sports development officer, FA skills coach, a coach in grassroots football and within the disability, female and male talent pathways. I graduated from Staffordshire University with a Sports Development and Coaching Degree and have completed the UEFA B and UEFA A Part 1 qualifications in Coaching Football.

I would be really interested in hearing from people within the network who have an interest or expertise in coach development, supporting talented coaches or apprenticeships.  I look forward to hearing/meeting some of you soon.

Alex Bedford
Coaching Development Manager
T: 01785 619726
M: 07970 725077
E: abedford@staffordbc.gov.uk

David Richards – Inclusion Engagement Officer

Hi, my name is David Richards and I am the newly-appointed Inclusion Engagement Officer with Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. I started on the 15th May and will be working under an 18.5 hour contract. My main role involves the organisation, facilitation and support of the Inspire Multi-Sports club project. However, my role is widened to support other areas of work including:

• Networking and strategic planning
• Research into wider-priority groups and identifying needs in various areas of the county
• Organisation and facilitation of the Disability County Forum
• Supporting local-delivery partners on the running of their inclusive projects across the county
• Supporting the facilitation of the county-wide Aiming High programme

A recent graduate of a Sports Development and Coaching Degree at Staffordshire University at a First level classification, I have previous experience working on community outreach projects that aim to tackle issues surrounding the disengagement of typically disadvantaged groups. One of which is my involvement with Sporting Communities who I have worked with for the past 2 years. My main role within this position was the facilitation of community-based, open-access sessions; operating as an assistant coach. Since then, I have moved into a head-coach role and, most recently, becoming their Staffordshire Development Officer. Alongside this, I have become involved with both disability and elderly-based projects in the Staffordshire Moorlands to which I have operated as a head coach. Each of these roles has allowed me to understand the need of sporting provision in a community setting and has made me realise sense of pride in helping to fuel the desires and ambitions of those most in need of support.

During my degree, I pursued to complete a Dissertation study regarding the prevailing issue of anti-social behaviour in North Staffordshire and to understand the role and effectiveness of sport and community-based organisations in tackling such issues. Conducting this research has given me a developing knowledge of inclusivity and the ever-changing role of sport to facilitate physical, psychological and sociological change.

During this time, I have also achieved my FA Level 1 coaching badge and I am currently in training for my FA level 2 coaching award. I have also completed a Sports Leaders Level 2 CSLA and I am currently progressing through a Sports Leaders level 3 HSLA. In addition, I also hold a Doorstep Multi-sports level 2 award as well as youth mental health training.

I am hoping to use my vivid experience to help reduce issues of isolation amongst disabled groups and wider priority areas in this role.

I am looking forward to hearing from and meeting people with a keen interest or experience in the development Inclusive sport in Staffordshire so please do not hesitate to get in contact with me!

David Richards
Inclusion Engagement Officer
T: 01785 619398
M: 07800 619693
E: drichards@staffordbc.gov.uk

If you would like to contact any other member of the SASSOT Team visit  our contacts page

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