Performance Sport
Programme
Jersey Sport has been commissioned by the Government of Jersey to design, administer and develop a £120,000 Performance Sport Programme to deliver the ‘Enabling Athletes to Thrive’ Strategy which was published in November 2023.
The Performance Sport programme will be piloted in 2024 and reviewed for considered delivery in 2025 and beyond. During this pilot, the Performance Sport programme will support a targeted and focused pool of talented athletes who are currently performing at or have the potential to perform at the highest level in their respective sport.
Jersey Sport are committed to establishing and delivering a high-performance programme that inspires, supports and develops local sport organisations to produce and equip talented athletes, coaches and officials with the attributes and resources to pursue careers in professional or elite sport to international and world levels. Acknowledging this ambition, the pilot Performance Sport programme will mark the start of this journey. It will be designed in collaboration with industry experts, local sport organisations and other key stakeholders who have a passion, experience and knowledge of performance sport.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED for 2024
DETAILS FOR 2025 APPLICATIONS WILL BE SHARED IN THE NEW YEAR.
CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for consideration, athletes must qualify in any, or all, of the following categories
- Born in Jersey
- Resident in Jersey for the preceding two years (open to all nationalities)
- Eligible through either of the above, but currently studying/living/competing on the UK mainland/overseas.
Do you, or does the athlete being nominated, fit any of the following criteria?
1) Podium (Elite)
Athlete who has won titles/medals/represented his/her country at a senior level in a major international sporting competition (eg. Olympic Games/World Championships) including athletes participating in professional teams/non-Olympic sports. Athlete possesses a strong medal potential in international competition, in the near future (<4 years).
2) Podium Potential
Developing athletes who demonstrate the potential to deliver international success/medal winning performances on the world stage at senior competition level in the future (<8yrs).
3) Talent (Development)
Athletes who have demonstrated they have the potential to perform at a world class level and have been selected in National Age Group Squads/Regional Squads and/or by their national governing bodies to the England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales Talent Pathways.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PERFORMANCE SPORT PROGRAMME
INTENTION OF THE PROGRAMME
To ensure the available funding is used for maximum benefit to athletes and administration costs are minimised, Jersey Sport will establish and work in partnership with a Performance Sport programme working group. Jersey Sport will support the coordination and administration of this initiative by facilitating marketing resource, website development, grant administration, stakeholder liaison and ongoing working group support.
The working group will contribute to the programme design – including eligibility criteria, application process, resource requirements and support/service provision for the 2024 pilot. They will also work in partnership with Jersey Sport to design a longer-term, holistic programme for athletes, coaches and officials which will consider other elements of the Government of Jersey strategy, including more detailed success and feedback measures within the parameters of the Performance Sport programme funding and remit.
During its pilot year, key objectives of the Performance Sport programme will be to:
- engage with sports and cater to the needs of their performance athletes, coaches and officials
- deploy available funding during 2024 with maximum impact and minimal cost leakage
- review the fund with relevant sports and stakeholders for improvements for future delivery
IMPACT
During the pilot year, given the required timing and desire to maximise impact, the Performance Sport programme will largely be a grant-based scheme, whilst exploring how multi-disciplinary support services through sector specialists can be offered and utilised.
Funding will be directed at individual athletes. Team sport athletes will be in scope, but the Performance Sport programme will not support whole teams at this stage. The pilot programme will initially focus on supporting athletes rather than coaches or officials, however, there is a desire and need to expand this remit in the near future.
SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES
Whilst the pilot will be largely grant based, there will also be consideration to the support services needed for athletes, coaches and officials to maximise their potential. Through partners and industry practitioners, Jersey Sport (with support of the working group) will investigate offering a multi-disciplinary support package that will form the service provision of the Performance Sport programme, such as:
- Strength and conditioning
- Medical support
- Anti-doping education
- Nutrition advice
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation
- Lifestyle coaching and mentoring
- Media training
- Psychology services and mental health support
- Other relevant upskilling and training
CONTRIBUTORS
Jersey Sport will recruit around 6-8 individuals to the Performance Sport programme working group who can bring valuable knowledge and diverse experience to the design, implementation and review of the programme. All individuals must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Experience of designing and delivering performance sport structures
- Passion, experience and knowledge of performance sport environments as an athlete, coach or official
‘Expressions of Interest’ have been received from the sporting community and the working group will now be formed.
READ THE PERFORMANCE SPORT WORKING GROUP TERMS OF REFERENCE
INDICATIVE TIMELINE
June-July 2024
- Recruit working group and host first meeting
- Procure any programme design consultancy
- Design pilot programme
July-August 2024
- Launch and publicize programme
- Open the Performance Sport Programme for applications
- Design and procure support services
- Scope and recruit for internal resource requirements
September-October 2024
- Review and assess applications
- Make awards and release funding
- Deliver support services
- Begin design of programme for 2025
November-December 2024
- Obtain feedback and review programme
- Provide impact report to GoJ and secure 2025+ funding
- Use feedback to finalise design of 2025 programme
- Continue to publicize success stories in partnership with sports and stakeholders