Today, record-breaking round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari MBE and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes OBE are to unveil a new sports performance centre at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Today, record-breaking round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari MBE and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes OBE are to unveil a new sports performance centre at Leeds Metropolitan University. Caffari and Holmes, both sporting ambassadors for Aviva, the world's fifth largest savings, investments and insurance company, will be on hand to open the centre that will aid aspiring athletes and prepare them for future sporting success.
The Carnegie Centre for Sports Performance and Wellbeing brings together world class sports science and coaching personnel with a world class physiotherapy service at Carnegie Sports Injury Clinic; the combination of knowledge, skills and experience forming a dedicated centre for athletic performance and wellbeing.
The centre will allow sports people of all abilities to access world class professionals and facilities, to maximise their potential and to enable them to train and compete to the best of their ability. Staff at the centre are experienced in working with athletes from club level to Olympic level and Leeds Met sports scientists have previously provided support for extreme challenges in the great outdoors, including Dee Caffari's preparations for her Vendée Globe 2008/09 campaign starting on 9 November.
The centre staff can provide scientific feedback and advice tailored to the needs of athletes by using state of the art equipment to increase performance and manage injury prevention.
Dee Caffari, who has worked with a team of sports scientists at the Carnegie Centre for Sports Performance and Wellbeing to aid her physical and mental preparation for the Vendée Globe yacht race said: "I‘m about to embark on one of my greatest challenges to date - sailing solo around the world without stopping in the Vendée Globe yacht race - keeping injury free has been one of the most important aspects of my training regime, along with building strength and working on my diet. I know I could not have got to the start line without the commitment, support and expertise of the Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie Team.
"As a Leeds Met alumni I'm honoured to be here today to see the new Centre for Sports Performance and Wellbeing opened and want to take this opportunity to thank everyone here at Leeds Met for all their help and hard work."
Louise Sutton, centre manager at the Carnegie Centre for Sports Performance and Wellbeing, added: "The centre aims to offer a client centred approach to allow sports people of any ability to access world class professionals and world class facilities. From health and fitness screening to physiotherapy, strength training and more specific sports science support, the centre provides the complete solution to anyone wanting to better their performance in sport.
"We are looking forward to working with a number of elite athletes and would be delighted to help in their bid for success at London 2012."
The launch of the centre follows the recent announcement in June by the Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, that the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence in sport and disability sport will be based at Leeds Metropolitan University. The new Centre will help coaches to develop the sporting stars of the future and will propel the UK into becoming the leading coaching nation in the world by 2016.
The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, will benefit sports coaches in a wide range of sports to help them reach the top and help drive a legacy of sporting success for British athletes in major events. Start-up funding of £600,000 has been provided by UK Sport and Sport England. The Centre is also being backed by sportscotland, Sports Council for Wales and Sport Northern Ireland.
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For further information and interview requests contact:
Caroline Ayling - Aviva Ocean Racing
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3128 6825
Mobile: +44 (0) 7801 351950
E-mail: caroline.ayling@synergy-sponsorship.com
Mark Dorey - Communications at Leeds Met
Telephone: 0113 812 3021
E-mail: m.dorey@leedsmet.ac.uk
Notes for editors:
Aviva Sporting Ambassadors
In May 2006 Dee Caffari became the first woman to complete a non-stop circumnavigation against the winds and currents. On 9 November 2008, Dee Caffari will begin the Vendée Globe solo, non-stop round the world race, aiming to set her second world record by becoming the first woman to sail non-stop, around the world in both directions. For more information visit www.avivaoceanracing.com/.
In 2004 with support and sponsorship from Aviva, through Norwich Union, Dame Kelly Holmes set up 'On Camp with Kelly', a unique mentoring scheme which aims to smooth the transition from junior to senior ranks for young female middle distance athletes. To date, 40 girls have benefited and this year 15 male athletes were invited to join the scheme. 2008 has been a successful year for "On Camp with Kelly", over 100 personal bests have been set and 40 medals have been won at national championships. For more information visit www.joinourteam.com/.
Aviva
Aviva is the leading provider of life and pensions to Europe with substantial positions in other markets around the world, making it the world's fifth largest insurance group based on gross worldwide premiums at 31 December 2007.
Aviva's principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of £49.2 billion and funds under management of £359 billion at 30 June 2008.
The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media includes images, company and product information and a news release archive.
For broadcast-standard video, please visit our video section.
Leeds Metropolitan University
The university was recently announced as the home of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence and is the primary partner of rugby league's Carnegie Challenge Cup.
The university won the "outstanding contribution to the local community" award and was the highly commended runner-up in the "university of the year" at the Times Higher Education Supplement's annual celebration of universities at the end of 2006.
Partnerships with 22 colleges mean that the wider Great North Uni family in association with Leeds Met has over 300,000 students.
Leeds Met is the only English university to charge £2,000 for full-time undergraduates.