Performance director Nigel Donohue insists the announcement of the University of Wolverhampton as the location of British Judo’s new centre of excellence in England marks an important moment for the governing body.
An independent performance review undertaken earlier this year recommended that a centre of excellence be set up in England with the University of Wolverhampton winning a rigorous tender process.
The centre of excellence will be based at the Walsall campus and, due to be operational in September, will focus on delivering a centralised training programme to junior and transition athletes aged between 17 and 22.
The vision is that the centre will evolve into the main centralised training facility for the sport with significant investment going into a new state-of-the-art dojo facility, exclusively for the use of British Judo.
And British Judo performance director Donohue said: “The selection of the Centre of Excellence brings the reality of a fully integrated performance pathway another step closer.
“It will provide the ‘transition’ bridge that we’ve been lacking and with the University of Wolverhampton we can create a performance environment with the best support services available, where our young players can be fully prepared to survive, strive and then thrive as elite athletes.”
© Sportsbeat 2013