more than
medals
We believe athletes are inspirational role models. The positivity of their can-do, never quit attitude could benefit us all. We provide specialist training to enable these sportspeople to harness their unique skillset and pass it on to others, working directly with young people and our partners, and creating a legacy which benefits the wider community. It’s a winning combination which gets incredible results.
Every year hundreds of world class athletes reach a position where they need to consider their lives beyond sport. We know that those who receive high quality support at this stage in their life will deliver a lasting impact across a range of societal outcomes. As a result, the UK will benefit from a fit, motivated and high performing workforce which empowers others around them. Since the Trust was founded in 2008, we have supported over 600 athletes to successfully transition from their sporting careers.
In January 2020 we announced the launch of the More than Medals Athlete Transition programme.
Being a part of this programme gives athletes the opportunity to learn new skills and to gain a recognised qualification. It helps them to understand themselves and others and to craft their new identity. Additionally it allows athletes to support young people facing adversity, give back to their communities, all as a paid opportunity. We know from experience that this will support and greatly improve transition into life after sport.
Who is the More than Medals
transition programme aimed at?
• Athletes who are approaching retirement or have recently retired
• Athletes who are passionate about working with young people who face adversity in their lives
• Athletes who are open to learning and developing themselves
Recruitment Criteria
• An athlete who is on, or has been on, the World Class Programme or equivalent
• Has competed at a senior level internationally for their country i.e. European, Commonwealth, World or Olympic Games
• Has played professionally in the top league in their respective sports
• Extreme sports - Competed at the highest level such as X Games or equivalent
The commitment
Training is a blended approach, including face to face sessions and online modules. The content covered is listed below and the training is spread across the year, with roughly be one face to face session per month.
Year 1
10.5 days of training (incl. 15 hours volunteering in impactful community programmes)
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
• Assessing Risk and Conducting Risk Assessments
• Engaging Young People and Delivering Sessions
• Public Speaking and Media Training
• Trust Education Programmes
• GDPR working principles
• Trust Community Programmes
• Athlete Volunteering – understanding my social value
• Mental Health England First Aid qualification
Year 2
22.5 days (incl. 8 days paid work)
• ILM Accredited Level 5 in Mentoring and Coaching – University of Bath
• Transferable Skills, Aspirations and Action Planning
• Career Day
• Celebration event
• Working on the Trust’s young people programmes – athlete mentor and support athlete opportunities.
Why world class athletes?
Independent research conducted by Professor David Lavallee and Dr Pete Coffee at the University of Stirling demonstrates athletes’ ability to be high performing beyond sport across a diverse range of roles, including mentoring young people.
They found:
• Engaging in elite sport elevates employer evaluations of potential job candidates
• Elite athletes making the transition into work possess essential employability skills
• Employers should view elite athletes in transition as valuable resources and capitalise on their extraordinary skills to manage challenging economic times
The research also highlights the potential of athletes to be ‘future leaders and influencers’ and deliver indirect benefits to the performance of their colleagues. This leads to the whole team raising their game.
