The hype of the Paralympics has died down somewhat, but our athletes’ diaries are still being filled with media and appearance requests. Awards season is here and has provided additional opportunities to bring wheelchair rugby back into the spotlight which will hopefully continue to drive up membership. As we close out 2021 our minds shift to the upcoming year as we move towards a new look GBWR brand., review our vision and mission to align it with our increased ambition that came with winning the gold medal, and the GB team prepares to retain their European Championship title in Paris. Our rebrand has been developed in consultation with staff, the board, and our members, and we look forward to sharing this with you in the New Year. The GB team are now recipients of UK Sport funding until Paris 2024, and while running a successful GB programme remains a priority for us, we will be very much focused on the development of our clubs and supporting them in the areas of recruitment, financial stability, and training to improve the overall club experience. I am conscious that over the last cycle the combination of trying to get the GB squad prepared for Tokyo with limited funds, along with the pandemic meant that clubs may not have made the progress that they would have liked. I am very much committed to the development of our clubs, and it is a key priority for me going forward.
The new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus spreading, and we have encouraged clubs to increase the use of face masks, handwashing, and social distancing in the lead up to the Christmas break. The Development team is also preparing enhanced safety measures for the upcoming league tournaments in January. We recently welcomed three-time Paralympian and head coach of Coventry Stampede Mandip Sehmi to our board of trustees who is an excellent addition and will support our drive to develop and grow the sport – 2022 looks to be an exciting yet challenging year!
Euros 2023 announcement
Wednesday 17th November saw the announcement of the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. It was a well-attended event with the WRU, Welsh sports minister, and local media including the BBC and ITV. That was my first opportunity to meet with members of the WRU and they are clearly passionate and invested in making the Euros a fantastic event. The Euros will create a fantastic opportunity to grow the sport in Wales and the WRU appear determined to make the most of this opportunity.
Quad Nations 2022
We are pleased to announce that the 2022 Quad Nations tournament will be held in Cardiff, Wales, the week commencing 12th September at Sport Wales National Centre. The event director of the 2021 Quad Nations, Chris Walker, will be returning and we look forward to working with him to deliver what will be the fifth annual Quad Nations tournament. This tournament will have two main objectives:
- Build momentum for the 2023 Euros in the Cardiff community,
- Raise the profile of the Quad Nations off the back of the success of the gold medal. Quad Nations 2022 will be a very important event in the lead up to the Euros and will act as a test event for working with partners and the community around a wheelchair rugby event prior to the Euros. Driving school and community engagement in the lead-up to the Quad Nations will help kickstart the awareness and excitement around wheelchair rugby in the area. This should ideally set up the Euros to be a well-attended and successful event. We are in the process of recruiting all of the teams for the event and will keep you updated once we have them all confirmed.
Welcome to the team
We have one new addition to the GBWR team and one that is transferring across departments. Our new business administrator is Nas Al-Sabaeiova. Nas has settled in quickly and attended the WR5s weekend at the end of November to immerse herself in the sport. Our new performance pathway manager is Stuart McLindon. Stuart was previously our youth programme manager and will now be leading the development of our next crop of GB players.
Join us
The role of head coach for the talent programme is currently an open post we are recruiting for. We would encourage anyone with the relevant skillset or aspirations to apply here. It is a fantastic time to be part of GBWR and talent development is a key focus for us.
UK Sport uplift
Our UK Sport award has been increased by £300k for the remainder of the cycle, bringing our total award to £2,950,289. We have also been awarded three additional athlete places bringing the total to eighteen. This new award will enable us to provide an increased number of opportunities for the talent squad to travel internationally and provide them with resource like that of the GB squad. Ensuring these funds are used in a manner that adds real value to the programme will be a challenge as the previous cycle demonstrated what could be achieved with minimal investment. We are still working through the Sport England funding process which will be completed mid- February 2022 where we will be informed of our final award for the next three year and five-year periods.
GB back in training
On 9th December the GB squad completed their final camp of 2021 accompanied by four athletes from the talent programme. The introduction of a ‘long squad’ sees more athletes from the talent squad given opportunities to train with the GB team. Talent development is critical for us as we look to Paris and beyond to LA 2028. Accelerating the development of the up-and-coming athletes gives us the best opportunity to continue the progress of the squad and maintain our gold medal standard. The talent athletes have slotted in very well and it was clear that sport has a bright future. This was also the last GB camp for Jim Roberts who has continued to challenge the team at the last three camps with his speed and skill and support their preparation for the 2022 European Championships. Jim will be missed by all, but he leaves behind a very talented squad with enormous upside. At this camp I also worked the shot clock for two quarters. An intense level of concentration is required, and I take my hat off to the teams that works the clocks for league weekends. I have a renewed respect for table officials.
The athletes that will have an opportunity to be selected for both the 2022 Europeans and World Championship squads have now been selected. Congratulation to all the players who were selected. Full details on the selection can be found here.
Team selection for the Euros takes place on 15th January. The team is also intending to join Denmark for a training camp in early February in the lead up to the Euros but this will all be dependent on what happens over the coming week regarding restrictions and player safety in relation to the current coronavirus situation.
Awards and nominations
The GB team has had a successful awards season so far winning the National Lottery’s Paralympian of the Year, SJA British Sports Journalism Awards’ chairman’s award, and most recently the International Paralympic Committee team of the year award. GBWR were in great company at the SJA awards, with other winners on the night being Emma Raducanu, Roy Hodgson, and the England football team. While we didn’t win the BBC Sports Team of the Year Award it was great that the team was a nominee alongside some other fantastic teams.
Thank you
As we prepare for the new cycle several personnel changes have occurred across the GB programme. On behalf of the team and the wider organisation I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to the success of the team and organisation over the years. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours:
- Chris Ryan, Co-captain
- Dave Warner, Sports Psychologist
- Rob Tarr, GB Assistant Coach
- John Roach, Mechanic
- Mike Peacock, Strength & Conditioning
I would also like to thank all of our supporters, sponsors, and funders over this most exciting year. Please accept my apologies if we have left anyone off this list:
- Roger and Heather Alwen
- Kate and George Digweed
- Sevenoaks Rugby
- Andrew Brooks and the team at Ascot
- RFU
- King Power
- RMA Sport
- Welsh Rugby Union
- Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust
- GBWR Ambassadors Rupert Moon and Mike Brown
- Hogan Lovells
- City of Kitakyushu
- Tim Hollingsworth and the Sport England team
- World Wheelchair Rugby
- Vicky Tolfrey and the team at the Loughborough University Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport
- Dame Katherine Grainger, Sally Munday, and the UK Sport team
- Chris Boardman, Tim Hollingsworth, and the Sport England team
- Jane Emmerson and Get Kids Going!
- Boost Charitable Trust
Finally, I would like to thank all of the GBWR members who are the heart and soul of this sport. You have all shown incredible resilience this year through the uncertainty, challenges, and changes to deal with. I have enjoyed meeting many of you during my short time here and have always felt welcome. I look forward to meeting many more of you at the upcoming competitions in 2022.
From all at GBWR we wish you a merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy New Year!
Jason Brisbane
