Women’s Coach Development Programme: Fourth cohort confirmed
April 11, 2024 | by Chris Boyd
The coaches for the final cohort of the England Boxing Women’s Coach Development Programme 2024-25 have now been selected.
A huge number of applications meant the selection panel for this final programme were left to make some difficult decisions.
“There were some very impressive applications and all coaches hit the criteria. The decision for who we included came down to the content and explanations of the video applications,” said England Boxing’s Women & Girls Officer Laura Sargeant.
“We specifically looked at areas for development and the purpose behind these, as well as the reason why the coaches wanted to be included in the programme.
“The applications were so good, we have decided to take 16 coaches on for this last year of the programme, and 1 coach who had to defer from last year’s cohort, so a total of 17 coaches in all.
“We hope the programme will follow on from the success of previous years and continue to significantly help those coaches who are taking part which will, in turn, help to strengthen the female coaching boxing structure in England.
“We offer our congratulations to all those who have been successful and look forward to getting to know them better over the coming 12 months.”
The 17 successful coaches are:
| Name | Club | Region |
| Heidi Ogden | Leigh Park | Southern Counties |
| Victoria Armstrong | Salisbury | Merseyside & Cheshire |
| Samera Ali | Tamworth | Midlands |
| Nichola Readman | NPBA | Tyne, Tees & Wear |
| Donna Torrance | Hemmell Warriors | Home Counties |
| Katie Guiller | St Paul’s | Yorkshire |
| Carly Attridge | Dennis & Dyer | London |
| Emma Middleton | London Community | London |
| Helena Richards | Bolsover | East Midlands |
| Rebecca Jackson | Market Drayton | Midlands |
| Lisa Little | Washington | Tyne, Tees & Wear |
| Rebecca Went | Mamba | Home Counties |
| Harriet Brennan | The Barn | Home Counties |
| Emily Aked | Sanctus | Yorkshire |
| Alys Ball | Northumbria Fire | Tyne, Tees & Wear |
| Lisa Houston | Brighton & Hove | Southern Counties |
| Claire Holloway | Downend | Western Counties |
The remaining applicants have been invited to join England Boxing’s Community Of Practice WhatsApp group, where they will be able to aid development and build a support network with like-minded coaches.
This is open to all female coaches of all levels and a link to join can be obtained by an email to laura.sargeant@englandboxing.org.
As always, we have our amazing team of mentors who themselves have been through the programme:
| Name | Club | Region |
| Naadrah Hafeez | Gladiators | Yorkshire |
| Donna Harvey | Arnell Ipswich | Eastern Counties |
| Vicki Baker | Peterborough Police | Eastern Counties |
| Kerry Chalk | Holmes Chapel | North West |
| Kate Waters | Rathbone | London |
| Rachel Bower | Rathbone | London |
| Kara Mikolajczyk | Mikey’s | Midlands |
| Kerry Norfolk | Thrive | Eastern Counties |
| Lindsay Jarrett | Telford | North West |
| Jayne Wallace | Billingham | Tyne, Tees & Wear |
“These ladies have played such an important part in the journey of the coaches they have supported and mentored through the cohorts.
“I can’t thank them all enough for the time they have put into the programme and their continued help and dedication. They continue to push themselves to become better coaches and mentors whilst helping others to grow. They are truly amazing”, added Sargeant.
