Guernsey Institute of Sport (Update Jan 24)

Where do we want to be?

(from original Action Plan)

We want to establish, embed and continually enhance a sustainable high performance sport framework and an approach to support service delivery that inspires and mentors, which will equip athletes with key attributes in sport and life and that will help produce a medallist at a future Commonwealth Games.

How far have we got?

The Guernsey Institute of Sport (GIS) is now established and has been working quietly behind the scenes with a small number of the Island’s elite athletes on Olympic and professional sport pathways as well as piloting working with two of Guernsey’s leading representative teams. For those individual athletes the GIS plays a small but crucial role in their programmes, collaborating with their coaches and wider support networks. This has led to additional pieces of work providing performance lifestyle advice ensuring that all aspects contributing to performance are given the attention they require.

It was hoped that, in time, a permanent base for the GIS could be established as part of the redevelopment of the Les Ozouets site, however this is now looking unlikely and the GIS will continue for the foreseeable future to be mobile. The work with a small number of elite local athletes is subsidised through private work carried out by the GIS’s professional staff with some limited funding from the Guernsey Sports Commission.

The GIS has also successfully supported the applications of a number of aspiring young athletes to gain Sport Aid funding and aligned its work with the TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme).

It has successfully collaborated with Jersey, the Isle of Man and academics from Liverpool John Moores University, to research the experiences of athletes from the islands transitioning from island sport to national programmes.

In partnership with the Guernsey Sports Commission, the GIS has invested in a software package that has allowed it to establish a pilot programme of performance analysis for two of the Island’s leading representative teams, assisted by the GSC’s sport science placement students. This has become an invaluable service to those two teams and, subject to funding and resources, expanding this to other team sports is possible. The GIS also provides educational support and mentoring to the GSC’s sport science students ensuring they develop their sport science skill sets and a portfolio of projects for their CV’s.

The GIS is continuing to strengthen links with both the Guernsey Island Games Association and the Guernsey Commonwealth Games Association as well as selected National Sporting Bodies both on and off-island.

The funding of the GIS’s work remains a priority area for development.

Active 8 Core Aim Supported
Support high performance athletes

Government Work Plan Core Aim Supported:
Young people can achieve their potential

You can access the updated Action Plan here