VISION FOR THE NORFOLK SPORTS ACADEMY
Our vision is to identify and support talented athletes within the county so they have the opportunity to reach their potential as outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen; enhancing their personal experience of sport and nurturing them to become sporting ambassadors for Norfolk.
We believe that the NSA will achieve this by fulfilling the aims below.
OUR AIMS
- To provide expert guidance for Norfolk Athletes which will allow them to fulfill their potential
- To offer an environment which gives individualised support to athletes in different disciplines within a community of shared endeavour and common aspiration
- Encourage the development of self-managing athletes supporting the greatest user experience possible
- To develop athletes who will become ambassadors for sport within their own community and county as a whole
- To optimise individuals’ time so that they can achieve their sporting goals alongside work / educational commitments
Criteria are used to assess the athlete’s level of current performance. Athletes must be currently representing England or Great Britain at age group or senior level (or EU home country) or be part of an England or GB development squad, having attended an England or GB ‘potential talent’ training camp within the last 12 months.
The NSA award is designed to support and develop athletes in achieving their maximum potential. Programmes are individualised to athletes’ specific needs with the shared aim of achieving success, working closely with NSA professional staff suited to their specific needs and to complement their existing training programme. Continuation of programmes for previous YNSA athletes moving to the NSA would be in consultation with appropriate NSA staff.
Athletes should have a proven record of performance and the sport represented needs to be from the list of Sport England recognised sports. We would be interested in hearing from athletes who have a positive attitude to improving which is reflected in their dedication and commitment to training.
Priority Sports
Each Tier 1 athlete will receive a bespoke package of up to £1000 in either financial or in-kind support from the scheme e.g. workshops, subsidised professional services and access to Sportspark facilities. This represents a progression from the YNSA scheme where the award is £250 cash / £250 in-kind support.
We now have a two tier structure which has meant we are able to support a greater number of athletes. Tier 2 is for athletes who are at regional representation level and they can attend workshops and use the Sportspark facilities.
In addition to accessing Sportspark facilities, we are currently working with a number of other supporters around Norfolk and will be able to announce shortly those additional facilities that will provide free access to the Tier 1 athletes when perhaps regular visits to Sportspark prove to be difficult due to travel times.
The opportunity for athletes to meet up and attend workshops will be scheduled regularly throughout the year (September to August) and the following list is an indication of what is coming up in our inaugural scheme year:
WORKSHOP MODULES
- Initial NSA start-of-year Supper
- Functional Movement Screening lecture – Follow up testing
- Physical preparation for performance
- Injury prevention
- Sports psychology
- Self-talk workshop (2 x year)
- Nutrition (2-3 x year) – testing in association with Easton & Otley College
- Video Conference
- How to win – traits of champions
- Goal Setting
- S & C sessions – focus on specific areas such as lifting, plyometric etc.
- Performance analysis
- Media training
- Online safety and social media skills (including parents’ session)
- Interview and acting workshop
- Drop-in sessions – health checks where the athletes can come in and meet with no particular agenda but a nice way to get them all together