Thank you to everyone who took part in the NIST Performance Pathway Review. Read the public summary and see the progress we’ve already made, with 19 of 56 actions complete or underway.
Earlier this year, the NI Sailing Team commissioned an independent review of its youth and junior performance pathway. Thank you to every sailor, parent, coach, club volunteer and member of staff who completed the survey or spoke to the reviewer. Your honest, constructive feedback has shaped what happens next.
The review was led by independent performance consultant Tracy Whittaker-Smith MBE, who had no prior involvement with NIST or sailing in Northern Ireland. The public summary is available to read below.
What the review found
There was a great deal to be proud of. Coaching quality was praised consistently, and clubs told us they want to do even more to support young sailors. The review also identified clear opportunities to build a more connected, better understood pathway:
- Connecting the pathway: a clearer picture of how the pathway works, from first time on the water through to performance sailing
- Strengthening club partnership: closer collaboration and better communication between NIST and clubs
- Supporting sailors through change: more deliberate support when moving between classes, and from junior into senior sailing
- Investing in coaching and time on the water: more regular time on the water with quality coaching
- A positive, inclusive environment: clarity, fairness and communication, so every young sailor feels equally valued
You said, we’re doing
We now have an action tracker for every recommendation in the review. It lists 56 actions across seven themes: connected pathway, club partnership, transitions, coaching system, funding and strategy, leadership and ownership, and culture and welfare. Each action has a priority, an impact rating, a suggested timescale and a status, and NIST leadership will review progress every quarter.
So far, 19 of the 56 actions are complete or underway.
Completed
- An action tracker that records every recommendation and its status, the review’s single most important recommendation
- A funded, permanent Head Coach post
- Written, objective criteria for squad selection and entry, now published
- An athlete welfare contact, independent of selection decisions: Greg Yarnall, Safeguarding
- Formal tracking of NI sailors and coaches moving into Irish Sailing and other systems
Underway
- Connected pathway: the pathway handbook is in development, and we’re defining the pathway end to end. Open training is rebuilding the bridge from club sailing and has already rebuilt one class fleet from scratch.
- Club partnership: annual monitoring of club development and pathway contribution.
- Transitions: transition camps let sailors try the next class before moving up, and individual transition conversations are taking place with athletes, parents and coaches.
- Coaching system: we’re setting time-on-water tracking and targets, including more weekend and holiday camps.
- Leadership and ownership: a single pathway owner is being named, quarterly implementation reviews are being introduced, and we’re recording staff with elite or Olympic campaign experience.
- Culture and welfare: a code of conduct, a skills and experience register, targeted support for female athletes, and a review of the Regatta Fleet nomination process.
What’s next
The pathway handbook was one of the most requested improvements in the review, and we’ll share it as soon as it’s ready. We’ll keep posting updates as more actions are completed.
