LJMU is chosen to host prestigious Global Coach Conference 2017

Paris, Beijing, Sydney, Vancouver…. And now Liverpool, as LJMU is chosen to host prestigious Global Coach Conference 2017

Liverpool has been recognised for its rich sporting and cultural history by securing the chance to host the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) Global Coach Conference in 2017.

The conference is a biennial event launched by the ICCE, an international organisation which leads and develops sport coaching globally. Its members seek to enhance the quality of coaching at every level of sport and give athletes around the world the chance to pursue excellence.

After previous host cities such as Paris, Sydney and Beijing, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) were successful in their bid after being recognised for the city’s sporting prowess as well as the University’s ongoing successes around its highly respected educational programmes within the school of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

LJMU have been at the forefront of innovation and development in PE and sports coaching for over 100 years with the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences celebrating its 40 year anniversary as the first course of its kind in the UK last year.

The city’s proud history of developing elite athletes alongside the world leading research in sports coaching therefore lay the foundation for the ICCE being attracted to the city as host.

The ICCE Global Coach Conference will provide delegates insight, experience and debate to explore how ‘cutting edge’ sports science and technology can make a difference to the pursuit of coaching excellence. Delegates will have the opportunity to integrate with international business, world leading academics and internationally respected expert practitioners though lectures, practical sessions, discussion and demonstrations over 3 days.

With the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games due to start in the Summer, the LJMU team will maximise opportunities at the conference provided by joint partnerships and use local networks to build a legacy of sports coaching that reflects the ICCE’s vision ‘to enhance the quality of coaching at every level of sport.’

Tabo Huntley, Chair of the Conference Committee and Senior Lecturer and Sports Coach at LJMU, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the ICCE Global Coach Conference to the city of Liverpool, a true city of sport, capital of European Culture and a World Heritage site. The conference will create a vibrant environment whereby delegates are exposed to the highest quality of sports coaching and sports science research, frontline experiences representative of the diverse sporting landscape and at the same time provide a truly unique experience of a city that embraces the value of sport in all aspects of community life.”

Dr Zoe Knowles, Co- committee Chair and a Reader at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at LJMU said “Our School has been at the forefront of innovative sports science solutions used by coaches for over 40 years. We are looking forward to sharing this expertise with delegates and listening to them and their current challenges and making these the basis of world leading research in the future.”

John Bales, President at the International Council for Coaching Excellence said: “The ICCE Global Coach Conference 2017 in Liverpool will bring together coaches, coach educators, researchers, sport scientists, technical directors and sport administrators to address issues in sport coaching, to learn about new coaching research and to share experiences with the top coaching development experts in the world. We are confident that we will be able to present a world-class conference with our hosts from Liverpool”.

The conference will take place from 31 July – 2 August 2017 in ACC Liverpool, a purpose-built venue that has been voted Best UK Conference Centre three years running.