The Sports Initiative Podcast

Russell Earnshaw and John Fletcher are founders of popular coaching development company The Magic Academy. Former age group coaches for the English RFU, the pair now focus on coach delivery and how best to inspire players. They have worked across a number of sports/clubs including England Hockey, Birmingham City FC and England Rugby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greig Paterson is Head of coach education and development at the Scottish F.A. He formally also worked for the Irish F.A in a similar role and has experience of travelling around Europe to gain knowledge as part of the UEFA share scheme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Drowley is the Senior EIS Strength and Conditioning coach. Formally working for Gloucester Rugby and Southampton FC, Tom now leads on the Women's GB and England Hockey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oli Hhigginson is the assistant foundation phase lead coach at a Cat 1 academy. A Uefa qualified coach, one of his man roles is to engage with young players with their Individual Development Plan. He has also been fortunate enough to go on numerous study visits across Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraser Franks is a former professional footballer with 273 total apperances. Most notably playing for Brentford, AFC Wimbledon, Stevenage and Newport County, Fraser also represented England C on multiple occasions. Forced to transition away from the sport due to a heart defect, Fraser now works for a legal company providing advice to young professionals on their social media interactions. Hosted o...

Danny Talbot is a current Great Britain track and field athlete. A competitive sprinter, Danny has competed in a host of international tournaments, most notably the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics. Now training dual based out of Texas (USA) and Loughborough (UK), Danny is hoping to overcome an injury ravaged period to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Megan Fletcher is an Irish Judo athlete who formally competed for Great Britain. A commonwealth gold medallist in 2014, Megan hopes to overcome her previous injury setbacks in order to compete in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Takumi Nishida is the Strength and Conditioning coach for Japan's Rugby 7's progamme. A graduate in Sport and Exercise science from the University of Bath, Takumi has spent time working for organisations such as the LTA, Badminton Wales and the EIS with their bob skeleton athletes. Now back in his native Japan, Takumi continues to develop is knowledge and understanding in all aspects of athlete pe...

Kevin Bowing is the former Rugby Head coach for Wales from 1995-1998. Now a coach developer, Kevin has worked for a variety of companies including the English RFU and the Premier League on their ECAS programme. A nationally known coach developer, Kevin has worked with the likes of Stuart Lancaster and Toby Booth on their journeys to becoming elite level coaches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

Barry Maddocks is the skills coach at Dragon's Rugby. Focusing on Individual Player Development both on and off the field, Barry aims to provide holistic improvement in cooperation with the players. Formally of Bath Rugby, Barry also spent time coaching the development age groups for the Welsh RFU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Che Wilson is a former professional footballer who played a total of 269 league games for a range of clubs but most notably for Norwich City, Bristol Rovers and Southend United. Now a coach, Che is Head of Football at the University of Bath, whilst also studying to be become a doctor of science in sports coaching at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Aaron James is a former professional rugby player who played for Wasps. Now a coach, he is Head of Rugby at the University of Bath, whilst also working for the RFU as a coach mentor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom John is a Strength and Conditioning coach who has worked in the Foundation Phase and Youth Phase at a category 1 academy. The Hartpury graduate also spent his schoolboy years at Swansea City before completing his apprenticeship at Hereford United. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Fletcher is an Ireland international Judo athlete. Formally of Great Britain, he competed in the -100KG category at the Rio Olympics 2016 and is currently in qualification for Tokyo 2020/2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barry Scollo is a former tennis player who ranked top 100 on the Junior ITF circuit before ranking in singles and doubles on the ATP. Now a coach he is the Director of Tennis for TeamBath and works with the LTA in one of their elite player pathways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toby Booth is a professional a rugby coach who has recently been announced as the next Head coach of the Ospreys. Formally of Harlequins, Bath Rugby and London Irish, Toby has an extensive career spanning over 3 decades. He was also Academy Manager at London Irish during the academy systems inception in England so has first hand knowledge of the development pathway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Jake Britton is a former academy footballer now turned Category 1 academy coach. He has experience of working across all age groups from Pre-academy through to Professional Development Phase. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tyler Sibbick is a current Foundation and Youth Phase coach at a Category 1 Football Club. He also played Non - League football in the South West of England gaining a reputation as a clinical goal scorer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Reed is a former Judoka who won Silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. Also a former GB athlete, he has now transitioned into coaching with the University of Bath. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amelia Coltman is a Great British Bob Skeleton athlete who won the Europa cup in her maiden season competing in the sport. She is also a graduate from Sheffield Hallam in Sport and Exercise Science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Billy Clark is a former professional footballer who played for a variety of professional sides, most notably Bristol Rovers, who he represented 248 times over a 10 year period. Now an A licensed football coach, Billy works for Bath City as their Under 18 Manager. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marvin Brown is a former England schoolboy and Bristol City's youngest ever appearance maker at 16 years and 71 days. He has now transitioned into the coaching world, owning Bristol based company Total Pro Soccer and working for Bristol City as Under 15 coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Grey is a former Paralympic Swimmer who competed at Beijing 2008. Now retired she is a broadcaster and ambassador for Youth Sport Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.