Global sporting community comes together in Liverpool

Liverpool John Moores University  (LJMU) was proud to host the 11th ICCE Global Coach Conference 2017, which brought together the global sporting community for an event showcasing and evaluating the important impact sport coaching plays throughout all levels of sport and society across the globe.

Previously held in Paris, Sydney and Beijing, the university successfully bid to bring the conference to ACC Liverpool.

The conference provided delegates with insight, experience and debate about how the global sporting community can extend the frontiers of knowledge and practice in order to pursue coaching excellence along the sport pathway.

Delegates also had the opportunity to integrate with international business, world-leading academics and internationally-respected expert practitioners though lectures, practical sessions, discussion and demonstrations.

England Rugby Union head coach, Eddie Jones, and Olympic gold medallist in hockey and LJMU Honorary Fellow, Kate Richardson-Walsh led the international sporting line-up as keynote speakers.

Kate Richardson-Walsh described the conference as a hub of ‘knowledge and energy’ as she talked through her career and how science and coaching impacts performance.

Eddie Jones told delegates in his keynote ‘Challenging Sports Coaching Frontiers’, “You can never stop learning – don’t be afraid to look at things without the bias of tradition”.

LJMU’s world leading research in sports coaching, was integral to ICCE choosing Liverpool as the host city for the global conference.

Excellence in delivering sport coaching educational programmes is recognised through awards such as the skills active and UK coaching’s higher education endorsement scheme and UKCC Level 4 accreditation.

The university is also renowned for being at the forefront of innovation and development in sport science – in 2015 the university celebrated the 40th anniversary of its sport science degree programme, the first of its kind to be offered in the UK.

Tabo Huntley, chair of the conference committee and senior lecturer and sports coach at LJMU, said: “The combination of applied experience and academic research shone a global spotlight on Liverpool and LJMU as a key player in the development of sport coaching practice at an international level for years to come.”