Launched in May 2004, the SPAR Sprints Programme is a community-based initiative that aims to increase participation in athletics at all levels and improve the skills of both athletes and coaches to help the UK maintain its status as a world-class sprint nation.
How does it work?
The Programme is designed to nurture the next generation of elite sprinters and hurdlers, and covers all distances up to 400m, including hurdles. This year, the Programme has been tied to the UKA Futures scheme, which underpins the World Class Performance Pathway by working with up to 40 talented athletes aged between 17 and 20. The ten sprinters selected to be part of that scheme will now join the SPAR Sprints Programme and become SPAR stars as a result.
The ten young sprinters from across the UK receive both financial and athletic support from SPAR and UK Athletics to enable them to develop as professional athletes and hopefully perform at the highest level in years to come.
Former Commonwealth gold medallist, Mike McFarlane, explains the concept quite succinctly: "It is important to realise that athletes need to learn how to train, get used to the sessions, before you can get results. People forget the concept of learning to train; it's not just about racing."
The key focus is on maximising potential and this is achieved through quality coaching programmes designed to improve athletes' running form, posture, technique, agility, fitness and overall performance, for instance in starting, completing drills, running relays and so on.
UKA Strategic Head of Coaching & Development, Kevin Tyler, said: “We’re delighted about SPAR’s ongoing support for our young athletes. The partnership is a perfect fit for our athletes, who will benefit enormously from SPAR’s continued sponsorship and support, allowing them to achieve their performance goals and reach their potential to deliver global medals for Britain in the future.”
What is the aim?
The aim of the programme is simple: to increase the participation in athletics while improving the current coaching and development structure. By increasing the number of people coming into the sport and the quality of their support and development the UK will start to produce truly world-class sprinting talent.
What has been the impact so far?
Since its launch the SPAR Sprints Initiative has had a massive impact on sprinting in the UK, as follows...
Roughly 1,500 athletes have been directly involved in the initiative to date but an increase in the number of coaches involved means that over 5,000 other young athletes are benefiting from the SPAR Sprints Programme.
Over 5,000 SPAR school sports days have taken place.
During the first 2 years of the initiative, some 15 athletes attained medals at national championships, 8 of whom have won golds.
33 out of the 106 athletes that have attended the SPAR Sprints Programme at Brunel and Thames Valley alone have already represented GB and NI.
5 out of the UK’s top 15 200m runners are part of the SPAR programme, as are 10 of the top 20 100m athletes.
Previous SPAR stars have included 400m runner Martyn Rooney, who won both silver and bronze medals at the SPAR European Athletics Championships in Barcelona last year.
