National Performance Institute

What is the National Performance Institute (NPI)?

It is the ‘Engine Room’ of the British Athletics’ Performance System, providing leadership, management, coaching support, service provision and training facilities for World Class Programme athletes along with the development of the underpinning talent and performance pathway programmes.

The National Performance Institute (NPI) is a key element of British Athletics’ Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Strategy and is the ‘Engine Room’ of the ‘Athletics Performance System’. It is the home to British Athletics’ World Class Programme (WCP), its senior management, coaching and support team. The team at the NPI lead on all matters relating to strategy, innovation and culture and are ultimately responsible for all matters relating to performance and talent development, delivery and outcomes. It is our aim to develop the NPI into a widely recognised world leading sports institute.

The NPI:

• Is where strategic and operational decisions regarding the allocation, delivery and deployment of resources and support to individual athletes are made (at the NPI, across the UK and around the world). The focus of decisions is to ensure all interventions help individuals meet their specific performance objectives.

• Is responsible for accelerating learning, capturing knowledge and developing and disseminating insight that better informs ‘What It Takes To Win’ medals at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

• Provides a range of specialist science and medical support services which deliver tailored and integrated support on a prioritised basis to WCP athletes.

• Is where research and innovation is managed and expertise can be coordinated to provide an in-depth analysis on a performance limiting problem to provide insight to lead interventions.

• Is a high performance training centre providing a full range of athletics facilities with a variety of residential options. This is enhanced by the wider opportunities within the Loughborough Universities Elite Training Environment which will include onsite altitude accommodation in September 2018.

• Is the central base for activities and programmes which will drive the support and development of coaching and coaches as they progress towards recognised best practice in performance and establish an environment to nurture talent. This includes individualised bespoke development programmes maximising the opportunities available throughout the UK and overseas.

• Is where the talent and performance pathway programmes are centrally led and managed, with delivery in collaboration with the Home Country Athletics Federations.

• Assists in identifying, supporting and developing athletes who can win medals on the Olympic and Paralympic stage. This will include: ensuring the talent and performance pathway produces performance athletes to feed into the WCP; and specific programmes to maximise the medal opportunities offered in the relay team events.