The Mussabini Medal was a sports award recognising the

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

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sports people and teams, named after

Sam Mussabini Scipio Africanus "Sam" Mussabini (6 August 1867 – 12 March 1927) was an English athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams. In total, he led athletes to eleven medals over five Olympic Games. However, in an era where amateuri ...

. Mussabini, who died in 1927, is considered to be the first professional (paid) coach in sport, breaking the occupation's amateur (voluntary)

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roots. Introduced in 1998, it was awarded annually as part of the UK Coaching Awards organised by sports coach UK (the National Coaching Foundation) until 2007, when the 2008 awards categories onwards were renamed and expanded as part of the launch of the UK Coaching Framework. The Mussabini Medal celebrated "the contribution of coaches of UK performers who have achieved outstanding success on the world stage." Along with the Mussabini Medal, there also existed The Dyson Award, for "individuals who have made a sustained and significant contribution to the development and management of coaching and individual coaches in the UK". This award was named after Geoff Dyson, the first chief national athletics coach, who died in 1981. The Mussabini Medal was introduced in conjunction with the launch of the Coaching Hall of Fame. The medal and associated awards were launched to raise the profile of coaches, and increase the financial backing to enhance the profession, still seen at the time as a largely amateur vocation in spite of Mussabini's pioneering example. Speaking at the inaugural presentation the patron of the Foundation the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

stated that "Coaching and the work of individual coaches lies at the heart of sport, Yet all too often the role and contribution of the coach remains unrecognised and unacknowledged". The Mussabini Medal was awarded to solely British coaches in the first two years, with 2000 being the first time foreign coaches of British athletes were recognised.

Winners

References

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The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, date=1998-12-13 , accessdate=2009-10-14 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104165147/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/profession-still-stranded-in-limbo-land-1191207.html , archivedate=2012-11-04 , url-status=live , location=London , first=Andrew , last=Longmore {{cite news , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/backstage-gurus-make-inroads-on-neglect-628428.html , title=Backstage gurus make inroads on neglect , publisher=

, date=2000-12-10 , accessdate=2009-10-14 , archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5kWtwbcvi?url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/backstage-gurus-make-inroads-on-neglect-628428.html , archivedate=2009-10-14 , location=London , first=Andrew , url-status=dead , last=Longmore {{cite web , url=http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/617/ , title=Coaching Hall of Fame nominations , publisher=

, date=2001-09-27 , accessdate=2009-10-14 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081111053632/http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/617/ , url-status=live , archivedate=2008-11-11 {{cite web , url=http://www.englandathletics.org/page.asp?section=704§ionTitle=Hall+of+Fame+Inductees Hall of Fame – Athlete inductees 2008 , title=Hall of Fame – Athlete inductees 2008 , publisher=www.englandathletics.org , date=2008 , accessdate=2009-10-14 , archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5kWtSZMK5?url=http://www.englandathletics.org/page.asp?section=704 , url-status=dead , archivedate=2009-10-14 British sports trophies and awards British sports coaches Coaching awards Awards established in 1998 Awards disestablished in 2008 1998 establishments in the United Kingdom 2008 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

Winners

See also

References