UK Athletics defends plans to create elite hub at Loughborough

Aim is to win more medals at Rio 2016
UKA currently processing coaches' applications
peter eriksson
Peter Eriksson hopes the new hub will provide more medals for Team GB at Rio 2016. Photograph: Getty Images for Aviva

The UK Athletics performance director, Neil Black, has defended plans to create a hub for elite athletes in Loughborough that could result in a number of leading coaches losing their jobs.

Black and the UKA head coach, Peter Eriksson, hope the new centre at Loughborough University will provide more medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, however, some salaried coaches risk redundancy due to the decrease in available positions and the location of the hub.

UKA has asked all its coaches to apply for the jobs available and is currently processing the applications. "All of the coaches were informed that they were at risk of being made redundant," said Black. "Some positions are no longer available. Everyone has had an opportunity to apply for new positions. Interestingly, just about everyone has applied for one of the new positions.

"We're right in the middle of the process of interviewing and will be informing people over the next couple of weeks whether they've been successful, whether they've not been successful or whether there is another part of the process to go through. The whole concept is making sure that we are making good use of public monies with a focus on employing people who are making the absolute best contribution possible towards an improved medal response in the future."

Eriksson, speaking at the Gillette UK coach of the year awards, was recently appointed as UKA's new head coach, replacing Charles van Commenee. The Swede, who oversaw Paralaympics GB's successful London 2012 campaign, played down the significance of the centralisation plans.

He said: "When the new year starts, we will all be in place. Right now, it is transitional, doing interviews with coaches for positions and the old guard is moving out and we're moving in. There is a lot that needs to happen.

"I don't think there's a lot of uncertainty. I have seen a lot of the coaches, done a lot of interviews. We've had one small athletes meeting and we've got a bigger one coming up next month. You try and get around as much as you can. It's intense.

"We cover all the bases. What we are doing now is not that different to what we have done before, but we're optimising it. We're having one centre as the hub and then we have coach based support if it's a coach that has several finalists in Olympics and world championships."