Superhuman levels of performance are just part of everyday practice; there are the smallest of margins between life-changing success and desperate disappointment.
The intensity means constant pressure on relationships. Coaches are accused of bullying (where should the line be drawn between ‘bullying’ and being driven to deliver success?); there can be instances of poor treatment by athletes of other athletes in the same set-up, as well as athletes who ‘bully’ coaches; disagreements with leadership, and problems with ‘touchline’ stakeholders, parents and family.
The fault lines of tension are only emphasised by imbalances in power: younger athletes, issues of gender and race, and a general fear of speaking up. Recent public scandals in sports such as cricket, gymnastics and rugby, have exposed ingrained, cultural problems — as well as the new efforts by sports bodies to deliver change.
CMP has provided expert support to the full range of sports’ National Governing Bodies and Home National Councils — including the UK Sports Institute, the Football League Managers Association and the Lawn Tennis Association — as well as individual high-performance athletes, coaches and Directors of Performance.
