The regional squad programme is an athlete’s first introduction to working with the BWL Pathway coaching team. Athletes will be guided through a progressive syllabus of learning which will increase their understanding of what it takes to succeed in the sport and reinforce the fundamental skills they need to develop to achieve their ambitions.
The squads are for those who are competing in weightlifting and with ambitions to progress into complete British Weightlifters but with a focus on their long-term development. Squads are divided in to 3 groups;
BWL uses the Sport80 system to store essential athlete information and track & monitor their competition progress.
All regional athletes must be BWL members for both insurance and communication purposes.
The criteria for selection is as follows;
Foundations Groups
Regional Age Groups
Athletes who do not communicate non-attendance sufficiently will be removed from these squads if they drop below the minimum amount of engagement expected for each squad (e.g. attending a minimum of 6 squads per year)
We encourage lifters who do not know which region they should attend to email kristian.mcphee@britishweightlifting.org to explore which squad might be best for them to join.
Regional squads currently operate across 3 key regions;
North
Common Squad Locations: Leeds, Warrington and Manchester
Contact: olivia.jones@britishweightlifting.org
Midlands
Common Squad Locations: Nottingham Universities & Cheltenham
Contact: chris.murray@britishweightlifting.org
South
Common Squad Locations: Brunel University & Bexleyheath
Contact: rebecca.palmer@britishweightlifting.org
Andy Griffiths (North)
Is the head coach of Pride Performance weightlifting. Since opening the club in 2018 he has coached numerous national medallists across all age groups, coached multiple youth international weightlifters as well as a commonwealth games athlete for Team Wales. Andy has represented GB at a senior level and also represented Team England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Jenny Tong (Midlands)
Is a GB International Weightlifter, multiple British age-group record holder and BWL Pathway and Performance Youth Coach. She manages her training alongside her role with BWL and running Sheffield's award-winning weightlifting club. Jenny is also the Non-executive Director for Athlete Experience here at BWL.
Khrys Speed (South)
Khrys was originally a semi-professional rugby player but turned his attention to Olympic Weightlifting after progressing in his strength and conditioning training. He has since gone on to win several national medals. Alongside his work as a BWL pathway coach, Khrys focus is on developing a team of athletes and coaches at his club at Ronin Strength.
All our coaches are passionate about creating a creative and inclusive environment that allows athletes to develop a broad set of skills that helps them become great senior weightlifters in the future.
The sport of weightlifting continues to evolve across England and the UK and as we discover and identify new hot spots, we look carefully at how is best to support lifters and coaches in those areas. If you feel like there is a lack of representation of athletes or clubs from your region in BWL programmes, but a number of emerging lifters or clubs in your region please contact kristian.mcphee@britishweightlifting.org