The Sports Initiative Podcast

Russell Earnshaw and John Fletcher are founders of popular coaching development company The Magic Academy. Former age group coaches for the English RFU, the pair now focus on coach delivery and how best to inspire players. They have worked across a number of sports/clubs including England Hockey, Birmingham City FC and England Rugby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greig Paterson is Head of coach education and development at the Scottish F.A. He formally also worked for the Irish F.A in a similar role and has experience of travelling around Europe to gain knowledge as part of the UEFA share scheme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Drowley is the Senior EIS Strength and Conditioning coach. Formally working for Gloucester Rugby and Southampton FC, Tom now leads on the Women's GB and England Hockey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oli Hhigginson is the assistant foundation phase lead coach at a Cat 1 academy. A Uefa qualified coach, one of his man roles is to engage with young players with their Individual Development Plan. He has also been fortunate enough to go on numerous study visits across Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraser Franks is a former professional footballer with 273 total apperances. Most notably playing for Brentford, AFC Wimbledon, Stevenage and Newport County, Fraser also represented England C on multiple occasions. Forced to transition away from the sport due to a heart defect, Fraser now works for a legal company providing advice to young professionals on their social media interactions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny Talbot is a current Great Britain track and field athlete. A competitive sprinter, Danny has competed in a host of international tournaments, most notably the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics. Now training dual based out of Texas (USA) and Loughborough (UK), Danny is hoping to overcome an injury ravaged period to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan Fletcher is an Irish Judo athlete who formally competed for Great Britain. A commonwealth gold medallist in 2014, Megan hopes to overcome her previous injury setbacks in order to compete in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Takumi Nishida is the Strength and Conditioning coach for Japan's Rugby 7's progamme. A graduate in Sport and Exercise science from the University of Bath, Takumi has spent time working for organisations such as the LTA, Badminton Wales and the EIS with their bob skeleton athletes. Now back in his native Japan, Takumi continues to develop is knowledge and understanding in all aspects of athlete performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Bowing is the former Rugby Head coach for Wales from 1995-1998. Now a coach developer, Kevin has worked for a variety of companies including the English RFU and the Premier League on their ECAS programme. A nationally known coach developer, Kevin has worked with the likes of Stuart Lancaster and Toby Booth on their journeys to becoming elite level coaches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barry Maddocks is the skills coach at Dragon's Rugby. Focusing on Individual Player Development both on and off the field, Barry aims to provide holistic improvement in cooperation with the players. Formally of Bath Rugby, Barry also spent time coaching the development age groups for the Welsh RFU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.