University Committed To County's Sporting Success
13 February 2012
Olympic coach Andy Wood has been appointed Performance Manager of the Derbyshire Institute of Sport
I am both thrilled and excited to be part of the team that has a real opportunity to make a significant performance impact in providing the environment for athletes to maximise their capabilities.
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Sports Ambassador Donna Kellogg when joining the University
The University is enabling Derbyshire's talented emerging sports star to access a highly successful Olympic coach as part of its position at the heart of the newly formed Derbyshire Institute of Sport.
Coach Andy Wood, who helped top badminton players such as Gail Emms, Nathan Robertson, Anthony Clark and the University's own Sports Ambassador, Donna Kellogg achieve medal success, has been appointed Performance Manager of the Derbyshire Institute of Sport - a new support network which aims to help athletes across a number of sports achieve greater success on the national and international stage.
The initial funding and drive for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport has come from Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council and the University of Derby, who will work together with Derbyshire Sport to make targeted investment in the lead up to the London 2012 Games, with the aim of maximising the legacy and enhancing the sporting reputation of Derby and Derbyshire.
The University of Derby's Kedleston Road site has been chosen as one of the first hubs for the Institute, and will provide many of the services required by its athletes and coaches.
Andy Wood, who lives in South Derbyshire, was previously Performance Director at GB Badminton and was the Badminton Head Coach at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics.
He coached Simon Archer and Joanne Goode to Britain's first Olympic badminton medal, a bronze in Sydney 2000, and Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms to their silver in Athens in 2004.
In the 2006 World Championships, he coached all four of the finalists in the mixed doubles, with Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms winning gold and Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg taking silver.
Andy said: "Since I left my post with GB Olympic badminton I have had the opportunity to witness first hand some of the excellent work being done by athletes, coaches and clubs in Derbyshire and to see the vast amount of talent and potential that we possess in the county.
"There are many passionate sporting people at Derbyshire Sport and with the excellent backing from Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council and the University of Derby, I am both thrilled and excited to be part of the team that has a real opportunity to make a significant performance impact in providing the environment for these athletes to maximise their capabilities."
The University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Coyne, said: "The University is excited to be a partner within the Derbyshire Institute of Sport and to have someone of Andy Wood's calibre on board.
"Together we will be working hard to raise the performance of sports clubs and individuals within Derby, Derbyshire and the University itself, as we strive to improve our position within the British Universities and Colleges Sport league table.
"Sporting excellence is high on our agenda, so we are delighted that our Kedleston Road site is to be one of the first 'hubs' where athletes supported through the Derbyshire Institute of Sport can obtain the core sports science and sports medicine services they require from our academics, students and facilities."
For more information on the Derbyshire Institute of Sport visit website www.derbyshiresport.co.uk
For more information about sport at the University of Derby visit www.teamderby,com
