Meet the team
Executive Director
David Watson
Formerly an employee of Harrogate Borough Council with almost 20 years of experience in the Sport and Physical Activity industry and a qualified Youth Worker, David became Executive Director of North Yorkshire Sport on July 1st 2006.
Prior to that he had worked with North Yorkshire Sport on a secondment from Harrogate Borough Council where he had gained valuable experience of both Facility Management, working and managing both wet and dry sites, and Sports Development. He also worked for eleven years as a part time Physical Education teacher at a local primary school giving him an insight in to the particular needs of education.
David’s role is to provide strategic leadership and to manage the financial, human and physical resources assigned to the Partnership.
David represents the Yorkshire and Humber County Sport Partnerships on the National CSP Board and the Yorkshire Gold 2012 Operations Network and Committee groups as well as being a member of a number of strategic groups within the county representing sport and physical activity.
As a volunteer he is a member of the Amateur Swimming Association, representing the Yorkshire ASA on North East Region Management Board of which he is the Chairman.
David is a keen sportsman in his spare time, focusing mostly on the gym and recreational cycling.
Email : david.watson@harrogate.gov.uk
Delivery Manager
George Cull
George joined the North Yorkshire Sport team as Delivery Manager in May 2009. Previously he had spent just over two years working with Lancashire County Sports Partnership in the capacity of Partnership Development Officer working on the establishment of Lancashire Community Sports Networks, developing club accreditation and NGB Liaison. Prior to that role he had worked for Hyndburn Borough Council and Leisure in Hyndburn Trust as a Sports Development Officer. This post followed Georges graduation from York St Johns in 2002 with a degree in Leisure and Tourism Management, which he had completed after doing a BTEC in Sports Science at Yorkshire Coast College.
Georges role at North Yorkshire Sport involves overseeing the work of the team and working on areas such as club and coach development, Community Sports Networks support, NGB and Local Authority Liaison and strategic planning across the County.
Outside of work George is a keen footballer and plays for a Saturday league team. He also likes to cycle as well as running and basketball.
Tel: 01423 556437
E-mail: george.cull@harrogate.gov.uk
Building Capacity Officer -NGB's
Paul Downes
Paul’s first involvement with working in sport was in 1999 where he worked part time as a Football coach in schools around the York area. From this coaching experience he decided to change careers and studied Physical Education and Sports Studies at York St John’s College. After graduating in 2005 Paul commenced work with City Of York Council in the Sport and Recreation team. Paul worked on the Active England project ‘Street Sport York’ where he coordinated and delivered multi sports for ‘hard to reach groups’ in York and its surrounding areas.
Following on from this in January 2006 Paul moved jobs to work for Wakefield Metropolitan District Council as Sport and Active Lifestyles Development Officer. This project focused on raising participation rates in community sports and physical activity in the Castleford area. After two years on this successful project Paul then progressed to work for North Yorkshire Sport (NYS) as Building Capacity Officer in January 2008. Paul’s key roles within the NYS core team are Player Pathways, Family Intervention Project, Club mark, Workforce Development, NGB liaison and the North Yorkshire School Games.
Tel: 01423 841081
E-Mail: paul.downes@harrogate.gov.uk
Coach Development Manager
Pete Taylor
Pete’s role, working closely with Sports Coach UK, is to promote and develop the UK Coaching Framework, leading the development of a North Yorkshire Coaching System Support Network (North Yorkshire Coaching Development Group (NYCDG)) that will support the needs of local, regional and national partners. This group will develop a North Yorkshire Coaching Development Plan that will underpin the successful increase in the recruitment and retention of appropriately qualified and skilled coaches throughout North Yorkshire.
Along with setting up the NYCDG, Pete also manages a coach management database called ‘CoachingNYSport’ . This has the capacity to record contact and qualification details, and acts as a tool to support coaches’ development requirements. ‘CoachingNYSport’ is be available to all coaches in North Yorkshire and will be used by many partners across the county; currently over 30 of the 49 County Sports Partnerships are using this coach management database within their own regions.
Tel: 01423 841079
E-mail: peter.taylor@harrogate.gov.uk
Building Capacity Officer - Disability
Simon Pierce
Simon graduated from Swansea Institute of Higher Education with a BA degree in Sport and Recreation Management. After initially working for the Leeds Mental Health Trust as a Health Support Worker and a Fitness Instructor in the cities psychiatric hospitals, he was employed by the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations (FDSO) to develop a Healthy Living Project.
His role with the FDSO changed to concentrate on Disability Sport Development within North Yorkshire. Hosted by North Yorkshire Sport, Simon has developed a disability development plan for the county and lead on the Playground to Podium Initiative over the last 3 years. Although FDSO funding for this role ceased at the end of 2011, North Yorkshire Sport have retained the position as a core member of staff. His remit will continue to entail working with partners across the delivery system for sport to:-
- Increase the number of coaches, volunteers and participation opportunities for disabled athletes.
- Look at performance pathways for disabled athletes towards London 2012.
- Lead on disability specific legacy programmes within the county.
Tel: 01423 841077
E-mail: simon.pierce@harrogate.gov.uk
Volunteer Development Officer
Lucy Smith
Having graduated from the University of Hull in 2004 with a BA (Hons.) degree in Sports Science and Management, Lucy began her career in sport working for Leeds City Council on community sports development followed by the role of Community Leisure Officer for City of York Council, predominantly working alongside the voluntary sports club sector assisting with club and volunteer development. Lucy joined the North Yorkshire Sport team in January 2008 as Volunteer Development Officer.
Her Current role includes assisting to develop the workforce across the sub region, increasing the number of volunteers involved in community sport, working closely with volunteer centres, local authorities and a range of voluntary organisations. Lucy is the lead for the 2012 volunteering legacy programme called Sportmakers.
Tel: (01423) 841134
E-mail: lucy.smith@harrogate.gov.uk
Building Capacity Officer - Physical Activity
Rachel Davies
Rachel joined the North Yorkshire Sport team in November 2007. Prior to this she was a student at York St John University studying Sport Studies and Physical Education. During her time at university Rachel had connections with North Yorkshire Sport, taking on the role of Volunteer Coordinator, which involved recruiting volunteers for the North Yorkshire Youth Games in 2006 and 2007.
Rachel’s current role involves developing the partnership through increased and improved methods of communication and working with the volunteers in the lead up to the Youth Games. Rachel has established and chairs the NY Physical Activity Forum. Rachel is a keen netballer and plays in the York and District League.
Tel: (01423) 556782
E-mail: rachel.davies@harrogate.gov.uk
Information Officer
Laura Tiemens
Laura joined North Yorkshire Sport as Information Officer in January 2008, following three years with a global logistics company in the performance and planning function of the business. Prior to this, Laura graduated with a MBA in Urban Regeneration from the University of Liverpool in December 2004, which was preceded by a BA Hons degree in Media and Cultural Studies.
As Information Officer, Laura’s role focuses on performance and data management. Key work areas include monitoring and evaluating nationally funded projects within North Yorkshire, such as Sportivate and Community Sports Coach Scheme, as well as working with key data tools such as The Active People Survey, Active Places database and Market Segmentation data, to allow greater understanding of sports participation in North Yorkshire. Other work areas include financial monitoring and performance reporting.
Tel: 01423 841082
E-Mail: laura.tiemens@harrogate.gov.uk
Community Cycling Development Officer
Martyn Bolt
Martyn is based within North Yorkshire Sport as the CTC Community Cycling Development Officer for North Yorkshire.
Before joining CTC as a staff member this year he was self employed for 24 years running a cleaning business which at one point covered the North of England providing window, carpet, upholstery and office cleaning services.
He is a keen cyclist who has helped to organise many cycling related sporting, recreational, challenge and social events in his spare time and is currently the Secretary of Ravensthorpe Cycling Club.
In the last 10 years Martyn has been heavily involved in bringing about improvements for cyclists in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, Chairing Kirklees Public Cycling Forum for over 8 years, being involved in mass participation events as well as designing the courses for the 2005 Tour of Britain's "Yorkshire tour ride". Last year he designed and organised a sportive event in Kirklees, which looks set now to become an annual event.
In 2005 Martyn organised a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of a British rider finishing the Tour de France, the dinner and subsequent ride drew riders from as far a field as Australia and Canada and has led to the formation of many friendships with riders spanning over half a century. In addition to regular cycling club rides, Martyn takes part in ‘Audax’ events and has twice completed the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonee.
Tel: 01423 545576
E-mail: martyn.bolt@ctc.org.uk