Sports Excellence Programme

Sports Excellence Programme

The Sports Excellence Programme provides a structured training and development route across a number of sports for talented young athletes (aged 14-18 years) who have a real chance of excelling in their sport.

The programme reflects the broad range of skills, knowledge and performance required by elite sports people. It is designed to give our athlete’s a holistic offering through an environment that develops the technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects of their sport underpinned by a balanced athletic lifestyle.

 

JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The Junior Development Programme is designed to allow pupils in Years 7 and 8 to practise and improve their skill set across the entire year, not just for one term. Those invited to the programme have over 20 more hours of extra coaching. In addition to this, we offer Academies in cricket and hockey which provides those athletes with an additional layer of stretch.

 

 

 

Sports Fixtures & Results 

Physiological

Having past International athletes on our coaching staff means a high intensity and focus is continuously produced throughout our physical training sessions. Our coaches are regularly developing their coaching styles and techniques so practices enable our performers to be stretched both physically and mentally.

Being able to receive feedback through the eyes of International athletes hugely benefits all of our Sports Excellence performers and improvements are made from the very first session.

Psychological

The components that make up a successful athletic performance are mental as well as physical.

This has become increasingly prevalent in sport and we aim to provide the tools to develop a growth mindset that supports our pupils both inside and outside of a sporting context.

Through group and one-to-one sessions, each athlete puts together clear targets and goals for every stage of his/her development. From what they want to achieve from a training session all the way to being selected internationally for their sport in future years to come.

Technical Support

To create the best performers we not only require first class coaches but also top class facilities and advanced equipment.

We offer technical support such as video analysis and sport specific equipment which enables our performers to take one step closer to achieving their goals.

Nutrition Guidance

Nutrition before, during and after sporting exercise plays a key role in performance and recovery as well as a healthy life day-to-day.

We offer nutritional education to our athletes to enable them to make the best decisions for their individual sporting endeavours.

Time Management

The life of an athlete can be very demanding, particularly when it comes to juggling sport with education. We appreciate that the higher the athlete performs the more demanding the sport becomes. At SLC we want to make sure that the athlete can continue to progress in education but also strive to succeed in their sport. Throughout the Sports Excellence Programme we use time management tools that are designed to assist athletes in effectively balancing all aspects of their life in order to get the most out of each day.

Medical Support

Medical support is particularly important to performance and could be crucial to achieving personal targets. At St Lawrence College we take medical support seriously and it is available at short notice.

The school’s Medical Centre is open 24 hours a day during term time for routine and emergency treatment for all Sports Excellence athletes. Fully qualified nursing staff are on duty at all times and play a crucial role throughout the sporting calendar. The Medical Centre also provides nursing facilities for Boarding Sports Excellence athletes who are ill and under the care of the School Doctor. The School Doctor calls twice a week – more often if necessary.

Athlete Lifestyle

As part of our Sports Excellence Programme, we encourage athletes to achieve sport and life goals through integrating learning, work and sports performance. This approach creates more confident, independent, well-rounded athletes who are better able to make decisions, adapt, focus and successfully pursue their goals.

Tom Degiovanni

Position:
Head of Hockey and Elite Performance Director

Growing up in Malta throughout his junior career playing for Qormi Hockey Club, Tom made the move to the UK 6 years ago during his undergraduate degree where he played for Canterbury Hockey Club. He is now the first team captain looking to lead Canterbury back to the premier league at both indoor and outdoor level. Whilst in Malta, Tom has represented Qormi in numerous European Club Competitions and also made his debut for the Maltese National Team at the age of 17. This summer he competed in his fifth European Competition in Poland. Tom has always been involved in coaching from a young age as he coached in the junior section at his home club throughout his career and has been involved in the Juniors Coaching setup leading his Under 14 Boys team to a National Championship in 2022. Whilst coaching the Under 16 Boys in the past season he has also Coaching from Under 10-14 Indoor Girls & Boys. He has also been involved in the coaching structure of the Maltese national side.

“Rarely do you see such a well-structured and professional programme in schools. Seth and his team have created a hard-working yet enjoyable environment which pushes the athletes in all aspects of their game across many sports. The school’s sporting success is a testimony to their continuous efforts. The future looks very bright for St Lawrence College.”

Simon Willis (Sri Lanka High Performance Manager)