UK Coach Fred Furniss, who died in July of this year at the age of 64, is among those nominated for the 2018 UK Coaching Awards. The awards are designed to recognize great coaching achievements over the last year, showcasing leaders from across all of British Sports. The 33 finalists nominated across 11 categories will be celebrated at a ceremony in London on November 29th.
Furniss is one of three nominees within the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, along with Canoeing’s Dave Rossetter and Athletics’ Peter Stanley. Furniss was Swim England’s National Talent Officer and enjoyed a 45-year career in swimming, marked by an induction into the British Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Swim England’s Head of Talent – Swimming, Grant Robins, nominated Furniss for the award, stating, “I felt it was right and apt that Fred was recognised for all his hard work and contribution over the years to coaches and coaching.
“Fred was so passionate about the job he did – he loved it and we loved him.
“The fact he has been shortlisted for this award is a fitting tribute for such a gentleman.”
Of the awards as a whole, Emma Atkins, Director of Coaching at UK Coaching said,“Great coaching takes place across the UK every day and the UK Coaching Awards is our chance to formalise our recognition, congratulations and thanks to coaches for all their hard work.
“Last year, over nine million adults received coaching in the UK, with the majority of participants enjoying a positive experience. To celebrate this, we hosted our first ever Coaching Week and got our great coaching message out to over 50 million people across the UK. In the same week we launched our Principles of Great Coaching designed to help people recognise what great coaching looks like.
“Fundamentally, coaches must put participant’s feelings, thoughts ambitions and motivations at the heart of everything they do. The stories of these finalists certainly show that they live by this ethos. I am also buoyed by the strength and depth of the young finalists in our Young Coach of the Year category. The theme of our Coaching Conference this year was young people; and a call to ensure we as the coaching sector are providing great coaching to the next generation and supporting that very generation to become coaches themselves.
“The UK Coaching Awards has been staged for over twenty years, and we are confident that this year will be the biggest celebration of great coaching yet, with new categories to reflect developments and incredible achievements over the past twelve months. Thank you to all those who took the time to nominate a coach and/or organisation. Best of luck to all our finalists, I look forward to celebrating with you in London.”