Swim Ireland continue to build their Performance team through 2017 with the recent appointment of two Regional Pathway Development Coaches. Mark Lappin and Sarah Fellner take up their roles in December of this year. Lappin is set to work in the Leinster region and Fellner in the Munster and Connacht regions, with Mark Craig already in position in a similar role in the Ulster region.
All three Pathway Development Coaches will work directly under National Performance Pathway Manager Andrew Reid and hold the responsibility of working with clubs and coaches within the four regions in the sharing and development of best practice in coaching and club development across the nation as a whole.
Mark Lappin moves from his current role as the Head Coach of Borough of Kirklees in the north of England, bringing a wealth of experience to the role as the former Assistant Head Coach at the City of Sheffield, City of Manchester and City of Glasgow swimming programmes. Lappin was recently appointed to the coveted ‘England Coach 2024 Programme’ and was a Head Coach of the England team at the Commonwealth Youth Games, having coached numerous athletes to both National and International success in recent years.
Sarah Fellner, currently completing an M.Ed in Coaching Studies, is a highly experienced practitioner, her most recent role being that of a mentor coach in Manitoba, Canada and has organised and delivered numerous coaching initiatives across Ontario. Fellner has worked as a member of the development team for Canada’s National Coaching Certification Programme and has coached athletes herself to National and International levels.
National Performance Director Jon Rudd said, “Since the revitalisation of the Performance team in February of this year, we have put together a world class team, one that I am extremely happy with and very proud to lead. Mark and Sarah are the final pieces of the jigsaw in us not just seeking success within this Olympic cycle, but in us helping the regions and their clubs to learn all that they can to give their athletes the best possible experience in our sport and to allow them as much as possible to reach their full potential. This is about longevity and consistency. With Mark Craig already in position, this trio of Pathway Development Coaches will bring great things to the Irish swimming community under Andrew Reid’s leadership and we can look forward to seeing the fruits of their labours over the ensuing months.”
