St Mary's Gains Accreditation for Sport England TASS Programme

Following major changes to the funding of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), St Mary's University, Twickenham has been successfully selected as a Sport England TASS Accredited Centre for 2014-15. Support to athletes based at St Mary's will include lifestyle guidance, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning coaching using the on campus facilities from Sport St Mary's and the St Mary's Clinic. From October, Sport England will take over the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme; a unique partnership between sport governing bodies and the education sector to help up and coming athletes balance the demands of college and university life with training and competing at national and international level. The scheme, which was established in 2004 and is currently funded by UK Sport, complements the work already being done by Sport England to support the development of talented young athletes, ensuring those with podium dreams receive the best possible coaching and support in high-quality facilities. Sport England Director of Sport, Phil Smith, said, “We want talented young athletes across all our funded sports to have the best possible chance of fulfilling their potential." In the year 2014-15 it is planned that 350 athletes will be offered an award as part of the scheme and support will be given to 27 different sports.