Gillette’s ‘Great Starts’ campaign sponsors coaching qualifications

(London, UK) September 2012

Today, community coaches from across the country attended Gillette’s Great Starts event alongside cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy and Olympic swimmer Liam Tancock to celebrate their successful applications for a Gillette ‘Great Starts’ grant which will fund the aspiring coaches next stage coaching qualifications. 

The event itself marked the conclusion of Gillette’s 2012 Great Starts campaign which was introduced to celebrate coaches and inspire the next generation through the offer of grants awarded through the scheme.  To recognise the importance of coaching for the future of sport in the UK, Gillette partnered with sports coach UK to sponsor a significant number of coaching qualifications which could be applied for via Gillette’s Facebook page.  

To celebrate their achievements, the men and women from 24 sports were invited to spend an afternoon with the hugely successful athletes and the people who are their inspiration in the coaching industry, British Cycling’s Performance Manager Shane Sutton and British Swimming coach Ben Titley. 

The aim of the grants is to ensure that the men and women honoured today can go on to positively affect the lives of thousands of young people through the use of their coaching skills.  sports coach UK estimates that, on average, a qualified coach will work with around 500 different people during the course of his/her career. 

Gillette ambassador Sir Chris Hoy said; “It’s brilliant to be involved in Gillette’s Great Starts campaign that celebrates the fantastic work coaches do to ensure that people like me are where we need to be for competition.  I have met some very inspiring people here today whose commitment to coaching will benefit so many sportsmen and women in the future.”

Speaking about the integral role coaches have played in his own success Liam Tancock said; “You can’t underestimate the impact coaches have on you- I still do things my first coach taught me and the men and women here today should feel proud in the knowledge that they will be positively impacting the lives of many aspiring sportsmen and women. “

Gillette Brand Manager, Jared Regan, said “Gillette has a rich heritage in sport and we appreciate the crucial role that both amateur and professional coaches play in the success of sport in the UK. Coaching is the sporting embodiment of a great start and we’re absolutely delighted to be able to sponsor these grants and help inspire the next generation by encouraging people to get into coaching.”

Providing a basis for the Gillette coaching campaign, the brand compiled a report, which includes contributions from organisations including sports coach UK, the British Olympic Association (BOA), United Kingdom Athletics (UKA) as well as the Minister of State for Sport and Tourism Hugh Robertson, leading sports analysts and existing Gillette ambassadors, Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll.