British Equestrian Federation - Club, Coach and Participant Project
An overview of the plan
Increasing participation and raising standards across the sport are key objectives within the BEF Strategic Plans. The Club and Coach project, enabled by funding from Sport England 2005 - 2009, continues to drive towards these outcomes by strengthening the regional focus of the delivery of Equestrian Sport.
In support of the Club and Coach project the BEF has established a network of part-time Regional Development Co-ordinators (RDC's) who, as their name suggests, will co-ordinate, and connect the sport, enhancing communication across the Member Body disciplines and with external partners. They will make it easier for Equestrianism to represent itself as one 'joined up' sport and to communicate with potential partners with one voice. Funding varies between the regions and activity to deliver the outcomes of this Club and Coach plan is time framed through to March 2010.
The plan will also require the appointment of part time regional coaches in each Sport England funded region. The coaches will work 2 days per week and the focus will be on delivering aspects of the club and coach plan, supporting the national plans of the member bodies at regional level and coordinating coaching development at regional level across the federation.
Club and Coach regional action plans will focus on:
- Increasing opportunities for participation in the urban environment by establishing links between schools and riding centres/clubs
- Enhancing the provision of coaching to disabled riders
- Providing increased opportunities enabling people to either "return to" or "have a go at" both Olympic and non-Olympic equestrian disciplines.
- Identification, support and development of athletes and horses demonstrating talent and potential
- Recruiting, retaining and rewarding volunteers
Through the Club and Coach plan and wider work the BEF regional team aims to work with BEF Member Bodies to increase and sustain participation and support the development of regional talent within safe and structured environments. This will include work to coordinate more accessible and improved facilities, provision of equipment and supporting the development of the coaching workforce. The investment into coach development will enable provision of an ever higher level of coaching from grass roots to Olympic standards, to all ages, abilities, and across all BEF equestrian disciplines.
Contact the regional teams
Head of Regional Development: Maggie Still
maggie.still@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07718 526366
Regional Development Coordinators (2.5 days per week)
London: David Gadsby
david.gadsby@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07502 277052
33 London Boroughs split across 5 sub-regional areas - Pro-Active London Partnerships: Central, North, East, South and West
East Midlands and East (EM/E): Gill Barham
gill.barham@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07818 252244
Counties include: Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland
South East and South West (SE/SW): Anne Clarke
anne.clarke@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07912 387412
Counties include: Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Cornwall.
North West and West Midlands (NW/WM): Sonia Birch
sonia.birch@bef.co.uk
Phone: 01926 614370
Mobile: 07813332362
Counties include: Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Black Country, Birmingham, Hereford and Worcester.
North East and Yorkshire (NE/Y): Emma White
emma.white@bef.co.uk
Mobile: 07900811377
Yorkshire, Humber, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, Tees Valley, Durham
Regional Coaches (2 days per week)
Yorkshire and North: Emma White (details above)
Discipline Specific Coaches:
Eventing: Heidi Woodhead
Dressage: Hannah Moody
Para Dressage: Erik Machecknie
Show Jump: Susie Gibson
North East: Not a Club and Coach funded region in 2005 - 2009 SE funding cycle)
North West: tbc
West Midlands: David Hamer - david.hamer@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07899857646
Discipline Specific Coaches:
Eventing: Jeanette Brakewell
Dressage: Rhett Bird
Para Dressage: Maria Eilberg
Show Jump: Fred Bergendorff
East Midlands: David Hamer - david.hamer@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07899857646
Discipline Specific Coaches:
Eventing: Christie Wright
Dressage: Mette Assouline
Para Dressage: Angela Weiss
Show Jump: Mandy McGlynn
East: David Hamer - david.hamer@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07899857646
South East: Anne Tezer - anne.tezer@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07890 012474
Discipline Specific Coaches:
Eventing: Emma Fisher
Dressage: Jill Day
Para Dressage: Tanya Larrigan
Show Jump: Tony Newbery
South West: Clare Turner - clare.turner@bef.co.uk Mobile: 07736725159
Discipline Specific Coaches:
Eventing: Caroline Creighton
Dressage: Claire Moir
Para Dressage: Nina Venables
Show Jump: Ros Morgan
London: tbc
For Information regarding Volunteers - Please contact gill.barham@bef.co.uk.
BEF Member Bodies include:
Olympic Disciplines: British Dressage (Inc. Para-equestrian Dressage), British Eventing, British Show Jumping Association
Non- Olympic Disciplines: UK Polocrosse Association, Mounted Games Association of Great Britain, Endurance GB , British Horse Driving Trials Association, British Reining, British Horseball Association, British Equestrian Vaulting
Generic Equestrian Bodies: British Horse Society (inc. British Riding Clubs), The Pony Club, Riding for the Disabled Association , British Equestrian Trade Association, Scottish Equestrian Association, Association of British Riding Schools
