Francesca Hayward, from Croydon, in her first year of an MSc by Research in Sport Psychology said: “My lifelong interest in sport, particularly swimming led to my studies at Swansea.  Since studying for my MSc here, I have been actively searching for opportunities to gain some applied experience in the elite sporting context which is why I applied for a position on the “skills4performance” workshop run by the EIS.” 

The EIS course was developed following Britain’s success in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.  The course hopes to inspire the next generation of applied practitioners by taking a multidisciplinary approach and offering workshops in Physiology, Nutrition and Performance Psychology.  Places on the course are highly sought-after, with just ten places allocated per year for each discipline. 

Francesca, who also gained a first class honours degree in Sports Science from Swansea University in 2013, will attend the five day EIS workshop at the end of March.  She said: “I am really excited to have the opportunity to attend this course as it offers tailored training and education, specifically on how to operate in high performance environments.” 

The workshop will be attended by guest speakers including Olympic champions, performance directors and leading coaches.  Francesca said: “The workshop will enable me to meet and collaborate with likeminded people and network with professionals in their chosen field.  The skills I hope to develop at the workshop, combined with previous theoretical and practical knowledge obtained on my course at Swansea are sure to enhance my career prospects and make important contributions in the field of performance psychology.”

Dr Camilla Knight, whose fields are children’s psychosocial experiences in sport and parental involvement in youth sport, is Francesca’s supervisor.  On Francesca’s success she said: “I was delighted to hear that Fran was accepted onto the EIS course. Fran is an outstanding student; she works exceptionally hard and takes every opportunity to develop her understanding of the field. Gaining acceptance on the EIS Skills4Performance course is testament to Fran’s commitment and hard work. I am sure she will gain invaluable skills through her attendance and am looking forward to her sharing her experience with our undergraduate students when she returns.”