Talented EIS practitioners are placed in an environment that offers maximum impact in helping athletes achieve their best
What is the EIS working on at the moment? We’re already looking at our service offer up to and including the next Olympic cycle (2013 to 2017) and have formally submit- ted our business plan to the funding body – UK Sport. Everything we do fits into three categories: innovation, col-
laboration, and excellence. If a service doesn’t satisfy one or more of this criteria and it doesn’t provide a performance im- pact we have to ask ourselves: “why are we doing it?” The EIS recently joined UK Sport on a series of roadshows
around the country, where we were able to talk to many NGBs about their strategy to get the best out of their elite athletes, to ensure that our services continue to fit with their demands. Getting everyone on the same page
and moving in the same direction takes quite a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ negotia- tion. However, UK Sport is always keen to offer assistance to close the gap on a sport’s weaker areas and help produce better results in the long-term and we’re here to help them do that. In a recent survey, we asked NGBs to
3 in the shortest time possible – giving them the opportunity to progress rather than standing still.
If a service doesn’t fit with our criteria and it doesn’t provide a
What role will EIS practitioners take at the Olympic and Paralymapic Games in London this summer? Many of our practitioners have been approached by the Lon- don Olympic and Paralymapic Games Organising Committee (LOCOG) and the British Olympic Association (BOA) to volun- teer their services at the Games. We told them that if they are approached they should let their line manager know, put in an application and we will endeavour to provide the necessary backfill to ensure their obligations to the sport they work with are covered. As a consequence, tens of EIS people
performance impact we have to ask ourselves: “why are we doing it?”
rate us out of a score of 10 in our range of different services. The data revealed that we’re doing an even better job than we were in 2010. However, sports medicine is one area that needs improvement. It’s a very expensive service so we’re continually making sure that we are offering value for money and providing the service that NGBs want and need. To this end we are currently working on extending doctors’
hours to ensure that they become a true part of the EIS multi- discipline team. Within the EIS, we believe that putting talented people
in the right places allows for maximum impact in helping athletes achieve their best. For example, we provide CPD nd on-job training to make sure that [for example] Level 1 practitioners with potential move on to Level 2 and Level
Issue 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012
will be working in a volunteer capacity at the Games and we will continue to pay their wages because we see their service as being part of our role and a great op- portunity for them to gain experience.
What about an athlete’s life after sport, does the EIS offer advice or support? Many full-time athletes who have focused on their sport since
the age of 15 or 16 and then have [for example] a 17-year career in elite sport, can find adapting to ‘normal’ life quite difficult. Our performance lifestyle advisors offer a 360-degree service
to ensure that an athlete is as well rounded as they possibly can be so they can get the most from their everyday sporting lives and lead a normal life afterwards. Our team of advisers includes an ex-Olympian as well as peo-
ple with life experience that can empathise with finding a new career, applying for a mortgage or dealing with an injury or a relationship break-up – it’s all about balancing a lifestyle both in and out of elite sport. We also help athletes find temporary employment opportunities to develop their skill set and prepare for life outside of sport. l
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sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 49
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