Sports Performance Course Team
COURSE TEAM left to right: Gareth Davies, Simon Jenkins, Ian Greyson, Neil Holmes & Jamie French Gareth Davies - "Chief Executive"
We describe our course team by analogy to a professional sport club: Chief Executive, General Manager, Head Coach, and Assistant Coaches. The course team is our unique selling point (USP) in that all members of the team have been involved in performance and/or coaching at elite level in their respective amateur/professional sport, and have personal and professional experience of how to achieve a balance between sport and academic work.
Gareth is Dean of the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University and a member of the Board of Leeds Rugby Ltd. Before joining Carnegie, Gareth worked for the Welsh Assembly Government, based in Sydney, as Head of International Business Wales for Australia and New Zealand, promoting economic development and inward investments. Previous positions were Director of Welsh Affairs with the Royal Mail Group in Wales, Chairman of the Sports Council for Wales, Commissioning Editor for Sports and Events at S4C, Assistant Director of the CBI Wales, Head of Sport for BBC Wales, and Chief Executive of Cardiff Athletic Club/Cardiff RFC. An Oxford Rugby Blue, Gareth played 12 seasons for Cardiff RFC and gained 21 caps for Wales, five as captain; and was also capped for the British and Irish Lions on the 1980 tour to South Africa. He has a B.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry from the University of Wales Cardiff and studied for a PGCE at the University of Oxford.
Jamie French - "General Manager"
Jamie is Subject Group Head of Physical Education, Sports Pedagogy and Coaching in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University. A level-three performance coach in horizontal jumps, he is a Regional/National Performance Coach and Regional/Senior Tutor - Coach Education for UK Athletics. Jamie is currently working with England Athletics in the adoption of the UK Coaching Certificate framework for Coach Education of Athletics Coaches, and recently worked to produce the Coaching Assistant Handbook for UK Athletics. He has a B.A. (Hons) Physical Education and M.Sc. Physical Activity, Exercise & Health from Leeds Metropolitan University.
Ian Greyson - "Head Coach"
Ian is Course Leader of the Foundation Degree in Sports Performance and B.Sc. (Hons) Sports Performance in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University. He is also Technique Coach for the British Swimming Stockport Intensive Training Centre, working with London 2012 medal prospects such as Keri-Anne Payne. Previously he spent five years as Chief Coach, and eleven years as Head Age Group Coach, to City of Leeds Swimming Club / Leeds City Council Swim Training Scheme. Ian represented Great Britain as a swimmer at senior, youth and junior levels. He has a PGCE from Leeds Metropolitan University.
Neil Holmes - "Assistant Coach"
Neil is the Level One Leader and Admissions Tutor for the Foundation Degree in Sports Performance. He is also Speed Coach for Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club and has been involved with teams that have won three Super League Grand Finals. Recently he has also been Strength and Conditioning Coach for Great Britain Students Rugby League team. Previous positions include Sports Development Officer with Local Authorities in Greater Manchester and Event Organiser for Able Bodied and Disabled Athletics events at the Greater Manchester Youth Games. He has a PGCHE from Leeds Metropolitan University.
Simon Jenkins - "Assistant Coach"
Simon is the Level Two Leader for the Foundation Degree in Sports Performance in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University. He is also the Editor of the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching. Previously he has worked at a number of universities in the UK and USA, and spent five years as an Associate Coach for the English Golf Union, providing education and training on the mental, physical and technical sides of the game for talented boy golfers in the South Region of England. He has a B.Sc. (Hons) Sports Science from Brighton Polytechnic and a D.Phil. Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford.
