The Sports Insider

What makes Bowls such an addictive & accessible sport?

I’m joined by medal-winning England player Lorraine Kuhler, Alistair Hollis, the Head of Sport Development at Bowls England, and Rob Short, who has recently joined the organisation as the new Head of Communications, to find out –

– What makes Bowls such an accessible sport?– What does it take to reach the top of the sport?– What exciting plans do Bowls England have in place to capitalise on the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham?

Links –

– Bowls England – Find A Club – www.bowlsengland.com/find-a-club/– Bowls England – Commonwealth Games 2022 – www.bowlsengland.com/birmingham-2022/– The Miracle Shot – www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ohG2I0NA8

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What makes Water Polo such an exciting sport?

I’m joined by Professor Toby King, Chair of Water Polo England, to find out more about this fantastic sport. I find out;

– Where is the sport played currently across England?– How has Toby progressed from playing at school, clubs and universities to leading the sport’s development?– How is Water Polo England attracting more people into the sport?

Links –

– England Water Polo – www.waterpoloengland.org– Swim England – Water Polo Hub – www.swimming.org/waterpolo/ (NGB for Water Polo)– Toby King – www.swimming.org/waterpolo/toby-k…hip-group-chair/

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What does it take to become a top Basketball player and coach?

I’m joined by Steve Bucknall, the first Englishman to play in the NBA, and current Performance & Technical Manager at Basketball England and Head Coach of London Thunder, and by Karl Brown, Director of Basketball at Leicester Warriors.

Steve and Karl both had fantastic careers playing for England, Great Britain, in America and across Europe, and now work in coaching and developing future talent at their clubs. I find out;

– How did they develop from playing in England to competing in the US?– What does it take to succeed as a top player and a coach?– How are they inspiring new talent at their clubs?

Links –

– Basketball England “Find a Court” – www.basketballengland.co.uk/court-finder/Basketball England Talent Pathway – www.basketballengland.co.uk/talent/talent-pathway/– London Thunder Basketball – thunderbasketball.net/– Leicester Warriors Basketball – www.leicesterwarriors.com/

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What does it take to reach the pinnacle of Gymnastics?

I’m joined by Scott Hann MBE,  the Director of Coaching at South Essex Gymnastics Club, and Max Whitlock’s coach. He has helped gymnasts win 43 medals at European, CWG, World and Olympics, including 5 Olympic medals & 3 world titles. I find out;

– What does it take to become a champion gymnast?– How has Scott developed grassroots gymnastics at his club?– How does positive coaching help to develop athletes?

Links –

– South Essex Gymnastics Clubs – www.southessexgymnasticsclub.com/– British Gymnastics – www.british-gymnastics.org/– Scott Hann MBE – www.southessexgym.co.uk/scottmbe/

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What makes Handball such an exciting and fast growing sport?

I’m joined by Holly Luke, an international player from Stroud Handball Club, Chris Smith, Elected Non-Executive Director, and Mike Bain, the CEO, of England Handball, and top coaches Agi Foeglein of Cambridge Handball Club, and Ilona Loewnau of Shropshire Handball Club, to find out –

– What makes Handball so enjoyable to take part in?– How has the sport capitalised on London 2012?– What does it take to become a top Handball player?

Links –

– England Handball – www.englandhandballcom– England Handball – “Why Play Handball” –www.englandhandball.com/play-the-game…play-handball

*Clarification – please note at 49:27 it is stated that 4 clubs took part in England Handball competitions pre-2012, which rose to 15 by 2015 – it was 9 clubs that took part in England Handball competitions by 2015, and 15 clubs that offer community handball*.

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What is Real Tennis – and why is it so enjoyable?  

I’m joined by World #15 Josh Smith, Top Ladies Player Lesley Ronaldson, and Giles Doy of the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace, to find out – 

– What makes Real Tennis so unique as a sport? – What does the role of a Professional entail?– What does it take to reach the top of the game? 

Links –

– The Royal Tennis Court – https://www.royaltenniscourt.com/– Tennis & Racket Association – https://www.tennisandrackets.com/  – YouTube – “Epic Real Tennis Rallies” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VBgq2S3J28  

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What makes Three Sided Football such an exciting and unique version of the beautiful game? 

I’m joined by Ben & Owen from ThreeSidedFootball.com to find out –

– Who created the Three Sided version of the game?– What makes it so unique and tactical?– How do alliances and diplomatic skills lead to footballing victory?

Links –

– ThreeSidedFootball – www.threesidedfootball.com– Three Sided Football – Is This The Future? www.youtube.com/watch?v=W64ySTJg1j0– Discovering Three Sided Football – www.si.com/more-sports/2011/11/30/3-teammatch

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected] 

What makes Pickleball such an addictive, inclusive and exciting sport? 

To find out, I’m joined by Louis Laville & Thaddea Lock (the UK’s #1 players), Karen & Chris Mitchell from Pickleball England, and Sam Basford, a top player, coach and director.

I find out –

– What is Pickleball, and what makes it so addictive?– Why is Pickleball growing so rapidly?– What does it take to reach the top of the sport?

Links –

– Pickleball England – www.pickleballengland.org– Thaddea & Louis’s final – English Open 2019 – www.youtube.com/watch?v=17VaOFWG2Xc&t=96s– The best point of the English Open 2019: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpgZlBnO1tQ

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What is it really like sliding head-first down an icy track at over 90mph?

In this episode I’m joined by GB athletes Patrick Atkin and Matt Weston, who compete in the fast and exciting sport of Skeleton, to find out –

– How did the “Discover Your Gold” programme lead them to the sport?– How has the GB Team managed to be so successful without a home track?– What was it like competing in the World Championships?

Links

British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association – www.thebbsa.co.uk/the-bbsa/Discover Your Gold Programme – www.uksport.gov.uk/our-work/talent-id

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]

What makes next year’s Rugby League World Cup so exciting for the sport?

In this episode I’m joined by three key people from the upcoming Rugby League World Cup, taking place next year in England. I spoke to Jon Dutton, the competition’s CEO, Tracy Power, the Legacy Director, and James Simpson, who plays for Leeds Rhinos and will be competing for England, to find out –

– What makes this World Cup unique for the sport?– How excited is James to compete within a home World Cup?– What legacy plans does the tournament have to grow Rugby League?

Links

RLWC 2021 Website – www.rlwc2021.comRFL Website – www.rugby-league.com/the_rfl

To follow the show, get in touch and find out about upcoming episodes, visit sportsinsiderpodcast.com, facebook.com/PodcastInsider & Twitter (@Podcastinsider) or contact [email protected]