Guernsey Athletics Club looks to improve coaching

Guernsey was the most successful athletics team at the 2011 Island Games

Guernsey Athletics Club is to place more emphasis on improving coaching of the sport.

The club, which runs athletics on the island, has published a development plan outlining their vision for the sport for the next two years.

It also sets out a proposal to have a full-time athletics development officer for Guernsey.

"Our most important resource in many ways are our coaches," the club's president Alun Williams said.

One of the main aims of the plan is to have at least ten athletes making either the 'A' or 'B' standard for the Commonwealth Games.

Guernsey has had the likes of Lee Merrien and Dale Garland compete at the games as well as seeing the island qualify a team for the men's 4x400m relay in Delhi last year.

Merrien, arguably the island's leading athlete, is hoping to make the Great Britain team for the marathon at next summer's Olympics in London.

The plan calls for a 25% increase in the number of qualifed coaches by 2013.

"Right at the heart of this is how are we going to make our coaches enjoy what they're doing and continue to do it even better than they are at the moment," said Mr Williams.

"We can't increase the numbers without increasing the quality of what happens.

"To do that you do need more coaches though, and our coaches have shown a real desire to learn more," he told BBC Guernsey.