Alfa Romeo: Athletics Coaches Shortlist for Award

SLOUGH, UNITED KINGDOM – Sept 9, 2010: Ten athletics coaches from across the UK have been shortlisted from over 14,000 nationwide, for the Alfa Romeo Cuore Sportivo (Sporting Heart) Coach Award, for a chance to drive a brand new Alfa MiTo sporty compact for a year.

Alfa Romeo UK, the Official Car Supplier to UK Athletics (UKA), launched the initiative to identify a coach who has demonstrated the most passion, pride and performance - three core values at the heart of Alfa Romeo - throughout their coaching career. The competition was open to all UKA Level 2 accredited coaches and above, who submitted their applications in early August.

The ten shortlisted coaches are: Carolyn Franks (Cheltenham), Chris Watts (Buckingham), Chris Zah (London), Dr Wynford Leyshon (Swansea), Ean Parsons (County Durham), Gordon Robertson (Stirling), John Robert Stephenson (Newcaste), Keith Brackstone (Bristol), Peter Meredith (Cornwall) and Steve Livett (Anglesey).

The overall winner will be judged by Alfa Romeo UK and UKA representatives, including Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development, who will present the car to the winner at the end of the month.

Earlier this year, UKA announced 2010 as Year of the Coach. The campaign seeks to recognise the expertise, hard work and key role that coaches play in bringing success to athletes across the country. UKA is also working closely alongside the Home Country Athletics Federations to highlight, reward and further develop coaching skills, including the launch of a dedicated coaching resource website – uCoach – as well as a restructured coach education programme.

Brand Communications Manager at Alfa Romeo UK, Damien Dally, comments:

“We launched the Cuore Sportivo coach award to acknowledge the crucial role that coaches play in the success of UK Athletics. It is a very exciting time for the sport and behind every athlete striving to fulfil their sporting dreams, is a much wider team. We received some inspiring entries and extend our congratulations to all the coaches who made the shortlist.”

Alfa Romeo is celebrating its centenary this year and has been the Official Car Supplier to UKA since 2006, providing a fleet of vehicles to UKA coaches, staff and select athletes, as well as a financial contribution to help support the UKA programme. This year’s European Championships in Barcelona saw Britain’s largest ever medal haul in the 76-year history of the event, with 19 medals in total (6 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze).