Sports coaches can now join a monthly webinar to learn from world-class coaches and experts who have worked with Olympians and Paralympians.

The new programme is being launched by the Derbyshire Institute of Sport (DIS) and is open to anyone who coaches local teams or individuals in any sport.

Managing director of the DIS, Chloe Maudsley, said: “Great coaches are the reason that athletes and sports players become champions. That’s why we have launched this new programme to share our knowledge with sports coaches so that they feel supported in their work to develop young athletes to achieve their dreams.”

Collectively, the DIS team has decades of experience of working with word-class athletes and professional sports stars.

Webinars will take place at 8pm on the third Wednesday evening of each month throughout 2021. The first webinar is on Wednesday Feb 17 when the speaker will be clinical dietitian and sports and exercise nutritionist Nicky Gilbert.

For many years, Nicky supported players at Nottingham Forest Football Club and has also worked extensively with high-performance athletes and coaches in a wide variety of Olympic and non-Olympic sports. The title of her webinar will be ‘Essential facts about nutrition for developing athletes’.

Chloe said: “Through this programme, coaches will be connected with other coaches and have the opportunity to learn and discuss key topic areas. They will also have the chance to get to know the team at DIS – including former Commonwealth Games athlete Laura Wake, performance psychologist Dr Phil Clarke and physiotherapist David Sprot.”

There will also be a chance to apply to join an exclusive Champion Coaches Forum which will be led by Andy Wood, co-founder of the DIS. Andy led national badminton teams through five Olympic cycles – three for Great Britain, one for Bulgaria and one for Australia. This exciting new forum is due to be launched this summer.

The webinars will cost just £10 per session on a pay-as-you-go basis with no commitment or membership fee required. To book your place, email info@derbyshireis.co.uk or ring 07974 231 564.

DIS supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.