Stephen Maguire – Director of Coaching
scottishathletics will soon be announcing our ‘Commonwealth Squad’ with support for athletes for the next 12-month period.
It is an essential part of the on-going work here for our Performance team with the initial selection process and then continued backing both regarded as very important as we seek to raise standards.
And now Stephen Maguire, our Director of Coaching, will be very much involved in the squad management through to the end of 2013 when it is next reviewed.
In mid-December last year, scottishathletics named a 41-strong group of athletes as our ‘Commonwealth Games squad’. The group at that time did not include Para athletes.
This time, we are able to offer support and help to more athletes and we will release 51 names next week, including four Para athletes.
scottishathletics are delighted with the increase in the size of the squad being supported as it reflects improved performances and a desire also to look towards Gold Coast 2018 – the Commonwealth Games after Glasgow 2014 – as well as the short-term future.
‘With Glasgow 2014 looming ever closer, we naturally have a short-term focus over the next 18 months or so – but we are also looking beyond that in terms of development,’ said Maguire.
‘The squad programme is very much geared towards the needs of each athlete on an individual basis and the coach’s responsibility to manage that.
‘We are working closely with the sportscotland Institute of Sport to ensure our ‘medal-zone’ athletes (in tandem with support from UK Athletics) will have the best possible backing in order to compete at the very top level.
‘Whenever any annual squad is announced in sport, personnel changes are inevitable. Our last squad was based largely on performances in the summer of 2011.
‘But just because an athlete isn’t named next week doesn’t mean by any means the door is closed on them – by scottishathletics or indeed for Glasgow 2014.
‘The selection standards for the Commonwealth Games are available online and each and every athlete and coach is invited to study them and strive for them. With the marathon qualification period opening on January 1 and all the rest on April 1 then the race to post them is very much on.’
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