Sir Clive rises to Olympic challenge
By David Bond
(Filed: 07/09/2006)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/09/07/sowood07.xml
Sir Clive Woodward’s extraordinary career took another twist last night when he was confirmed as the British Olympic Association’s director of elite performance. He starts work in just over a week.
Only last week he ended his attempt to break into football as technical support director with Southampton, of the Championship. Now he is the person charged with delivering on London’s lofty ambitions for the 2012 Olympics.
Despite his unsuccessful foray into the beautiful game, he is still highly respected in elite sporting circles after his 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph with England.
On leaving Southampton he said his next move would be into the world of consultancy, working with football clubs and governing bodies on sports science and elite performance. But now, after an approach from the BOA in the past seven days, Woodward has been propelled back to the very heart of British sport.
With growing fears over how Britain’s athletes will perform in six years’ time, the BOA have been searching for a big hitter to help them to fulfil their ambition of finishing fourth in the medal table in 2012.
Disappointing performances in the World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg last month showed the need for drastic action and the BOA moved quickly to secure Woodward’s services.
He will work closely with Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 organising committee chairman, Colin Moynihan, the BOA chairman, and UK Sport chiefs to help to put the infrastructure in place to ensure Britain’s Olympic sports are in the right shape to climb the medal table.
Performance directors for each of the Olympic sports must report to Woodward. His powerful new post will also allow him a major say in how UK Sport’s package of £600 million for the funding of elite athletes for 2012 will be spent.
Woodward, 50, said: “It’s a privilege to be joining the BOA at such an exciting time for British Olympic sport. I will use my experiences in high-performance sport to assist the 35 Olympic sports to achieve their aspirations and, working in partnership with UK Sport, national governing bodies and performance directors, ensure the performance of Team GB is maximised. Working with our elite coaches and athletes is tremendously exciting for me.”
He will also be responsible for Team GB’s pre-Beijing preparation camp and act as deputy chef de mission (performance) at the Beijing Games in 2008, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and the London Games two years later.
His appointment represents a stunning comeback. His stock plummeted after England’s 2003 rugby triumph. Following a poor British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2005, he became sporting director at Southampton, aiming to remain in football. But his plan backfired. Rupert Lowe was forced out as Southampton chairman this summer and Woodward was demoted, then he lost out to Rob Andrew for the job of elite rugby director with the Rugby Football Union last month. Then, last week, he left Southampton.
Woodward factfile
1956: Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
1980-84: Capped 21 times by England and tours twice with the British Lions.
1984: Moves to Sydney, eventually becoming coach of Manly.
1990: Returns to England and coaches London Irish, Bath and England Under-21s.
1997: Appointed England’s first professional coach.
1999: Takes England to World Cup quarter-finals.
2003: Leads England to Grand Slam and World Cup.
2004: Resigns as England coach before taking the British Lions on a disastrous tour of New Zealand.
2005: Joins Southampton as performance director and is then made director of football.
2006: Misses out on job of elite performance director with Rugby Football Union, the post going to Rob Andrew. Then steps down from full-time role with Southampton.
Poor tour? :rolleyes: The thing was a total frikken disaster and Woodward was widely and rightly criticised for it.
Sorry fellas but if he’s in charge of the UK’s elite performance you’re rooted :eek: if you thought it was cliquey before and the Admin was distant and aloof it will get even worse.