Harkins & Maguire confirmed for Leaders’ Conference

We are delighted to announce that recently-appointed Director of Coaching (DOC) Rodger Harkins and former DOC and newly-appointed Head of Power at British Athletics, Stephen Maguire, will present at the Leaders Conference on the 22 November at Hampden Park.

The experienced pairing will co-deliver a session covering topics such as creating talent environments within clubs, athlete support, coach development and coaching structures with a view to helping clubs support the development of athletes towards international level.

You can read more about the event on our website.

Rodger Harkins – Biography
Rodger has been heavily-involved with athletics in Scotland for decades, initially as a former international triple-jumper and national champion (indoors and out) and 400m hurdler in his own right before he turned to coaching. Under his guidance, Lee McConnell, who retired earlier this year, won Commonwealth medals at both 400m and 400m hurdles and competed at three Olympic Games.

Harkins has also coached a number of national champions and international athletes and recently moved across from a part-time Scottish Athletics role working on relays, having handled the Commonwealth Games build-up for Scotland’s 4x400m relay teams in Glasgow where the men’s team set a national record when finishing fifth in the final and the women’s quartet set a native record.

Stephen Maguire – Biography
Stephen is the former Director of Coaching at scottishathletics and was recently appointed Head of Power at British Athletics. He guided Team Scotland to a record-breaking haul at Glasgow 2014, as well as supporting a number of the current crop of athletes to world level during his period in Scotland.

The Northern Irishman, former national coach to Ireland at Olympic and Paralympic Games built his coaching reputation when in the US where he coached fellow countryman Jason Smyth to four Paralympic sprint titles as well as being a core part of the coaching team of numerous World and Olympic champions headed-up by US coach Lance Brauman.

Places at the conference are limited so to book your place, please reply to me on mark.munro@scottishathletics.org.uk.