THE University of Bolton is to be a centre of excellence for training athletics coaches.

It has teamed up with England Athletics, the governing body for athletics sports, to use the university’s new Athlete Development Centre, in Bolton One, pictured, for a targeted programme of events and workshops.

It will be the first centre of its kind in the North West.

Colin Robertson, head of the Athlete Development Centre, said: “We pride ourselves in recognising the vital role coaches play and the importance of coach and athlete relationship.

“We are delighted to have been selected as our region’s first centre of excellence for athletics coaches and will provide specialist support to assist coaches in their development.”

David Turnbull, England Athletics North West Endurance coach mentor, said: “This is a great opportunity for endurance coaches on the mentoring scheme to join forces with the sports science department at Bolton One.

“It will enable the coaches to access Sports science expertise at Bolton which is a vital component in terms of the continuous learning process for coaches working with athletes in the modern era.”