Amie Gray

I was motivated to apply for the Practitioner Programme to explore the world of working in elite sport and to learn from some of the world’s most successful sports practitioners. I was keen to build on my prior knowledge and experience of working in elite sport to improve my vocational skills, such as coach-athlete relationships and networking, in order to be able to contribute to elite sport more effectively in the future.

Amongst the numerous learning points from the practitioner programme was the adaptability needed to work in different sporting environments and with different professionals. The idea that your communication and methods of working will need to change to meet the individual needs of the athletes depending on their personality, the performance of the team, the stage in the season and the time of day has really stuck with me. 

My dream is to be a head performance analyst for a national rugby union team. Throughout the programme, I learnt from the experience of professionals who worked both in rugby union and performance analysis. It was from this programme that I was able to network with these professionals and to arrange individual meetings in order to learn more from their experience. It has also given me the confidence to apply for a CVA analysis role which I feel fully prepared to take on, thanks to the practitioner programme.

Any student that is considering applying for the practitioner programme should absolutely take the opportunity! Not only will it provide you with invaluable insights into working in elite sport, it will also introduce you to a support network of like-minded and ambitious students who are equally passionate about committing their efforts to benefit elite sport. To make the most of it, be open minded to new perspectives, be confident in sharing your ideas and be brave enough to take every opportunity that it will give you, because there will be a lot!