Elite Athletics

Making it easier for our elite athletes to succeed

While for most children, sport is about fun and learning key life skills, for some it is the start of a dream. Our support of UK Athletics enables that dream to become more accessible. We are giving the team the best possible foundations on which to develop and perform, by:

• Offering junior athletes mentoring and coaching from iconic athletes who have achieved at the very highest level
• Supporting the Norwich Union GB & NI athletics team in the crucial build up to major championships
• Providing world class events for them to compete in on home soil
• Giving access to a team of Performance Advisors who succeeded at the highest level

It's a long-term goal we share with UK Athletics, but it's already beginning to bear fruit. Many of our top prospects have come through our schemes as children, such as Jessica Ennis, Nathan Douglas, Martyn Rooney, Kelly Sotherton and Jade Johnson.

We work with UK Athletics to develop support programmes that help current athletes to benefit from the knowledge of former champions. Norwich Union Performance Advisors including Katharine Merry, Linford Christie, Steve Backley and Wendy Sly, pass on their extensive experience to Britain's most talented athletes as they prepare for major championships.

We also support UK Athletics' Power of 10 scheme which allows athletes, coaches and clubs to monitor their performance progress. The Norwich Union Awards allow UK Athletics to applaud this progress and include gifts to both coach and athlete when a performance takes them above the UK threshold. The idea is to reward the contribution made by the community around an athlete and coach, to provide local targets to show how performances are improving, and a Coaching Award to acknowledge those who create the very best environment for an athlete to grow.

In addition, alongside National Lottery funding, we provide UK Athletics with the resources to support British athletes in their preparations for major championships.