Connecting athletes with coaches through digital technology is the aim of Global Sport Coach, our new affiliate partner and the brainchild of ex-Paralympian Lindsay Sutton.
As a former athlete, Lindsay perceived that sports participation at all levels lacked a facility which allowed athletes to meet and match with coaches and sporting bodies.
His vision was to fill that void by creating an online network which functions through a large searchable database of coaches and athletes, augmented by content, social platforms and live coverage of events and clinics. Lindsay sees live streaming as a key driver behind his strategy and a potentially vital networking tool.
Lindsay, who competed for Australia in the shot put at the 2012 Paralympics and is a former world record holder in the hammer, told GlobalSportsJobs: “My journey from school-level athletics to becoming a Paralympian allowed me to see the ways athletes train, how coaches work with their athletes, and the process of networking between coaches and athletes.
“This has given me great insight into the positive and negative aspects of this networking, and Global Sport Coach was created because of some of my own experiences in this area.”
As well as matching athletes with suitable coaches across the world, the Global Sport Coach website is already rich with content that offers insight from practitioners at the top of the profession.
There’s an in-depth interview with Great Britain’s 2016 Paralympic cycling gold medallist and world record holder Jody Cundy, outlining the detail of his meticulous training regime, plus podcasts with Australia’s Commonwealth Games pole vault champion Alana Boyd and former NBA basketball star Lance Hurdle.
Live streaming is an area in which Lindsay sees real potential and following a live broadcast by Red Bull Director of High Performance Andy Walshe in August, a further live stream is scheduled in November with Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Ron McKeefery .
The partnership with GlobalSportsJobs gives coaches access to the site’s hundreds of vacancies across the sports industry, from entry level right up to elite roles at governing bodies and professional clubs.
Lindsay’s skills and connections from his background in elite sport are backed up by a talent-packed team, giving athletes and coaches in the network the reassurance that they’re in the hands of a highly knowledgeable and experienced unit.
CEO Mark Stitt is an ex-professional rugby union player who has operated successful fitness centres and training organisations for many years. His passion is linking people together in the industry and his vision is to create a huge network of athletes at all development levels across a broad range of sports.
Head of IT Declan Holt is the technical lead, offering video production and website development acumen to make sure Global Sport Coach’s ambitious digital projects operate smoothly.
In addition, two expert podcasters – Kris Thiesfield and Richard Thompson - are on hand to offer their valuable input in the spheres of elite strength and conditioning and endurance sport coaching respectively.
“In the future we aim to hold an established position within the international sporting spectrum, and be involved in progressive coaching styles, embracing ever-growing advancements in technology,” comments Lindsay.
“Without support from all levels of the sporting community; local, regional, national and international, sporting events and developments become fewer and farther between. We want to support all sports to continue sharing the passion, commitment and companionship that it offers its players.”
Lindsay’s background in overcoming disability to compete internationally has given him an ideal grounding for the world of business, although setting up Global Sport Coach has been a steep learning curve.
“What I probably didn’t recognise early on was the amount of preparation and constant review and revision of our strategies that would take place over the years. I would recommend that anyone else in a similar position recognises there are great things you can accomplish, but it takes time and energy.
“I tried to keep myself motivated by looking at how far we’d come, not the potential obstacles ahead, and I guess that’s still working for me.”
For more information go to www.globalsportcoach.com
This article was written by the GlobalSportsJobs Insight team.
To take a look back at the Rio Olympics and see how the diverse skills of athletes in various disciplines apply to different areas of business, click here .
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