Scottish athletes boosted by body's new coaching roles

Stephanie Twell won a Commonwealth bronze medal in the 1500m in Delhi

The governing body of Scottish athletics is adding to its coaching staff to help identify and nurture young talent and their coaches.

A strategy review by scottishathletics, involving chairman Frank Dick and director Tommy Boyle, has led to the creation of three new posts.

Dick said: "We want to identify the best young athletes and their coaches and fast-track them when we can.

"We want to do that alongside a regional and elite structure."

The new posts being advertised include a director of coaching, an athlete pathway and talent manager and a performance programmes manager.

The changes mean that extra help will be available to coaches and athletes not in the Commonwealth Games squad as well as Scotland's elite athletes like Stephanie Twell, Eilidh Child and Lee McConnell.

Dick added: "We see our new plans as exciting and innovative and, given experience of working on performance strategies in a number of sports and internationally, I think the way we are now looking at it is unique and certainly appropriate for Scotland at the moment.

"We need to identify potential early and nurture it better.

"The leadership team, and our young athletes and their coaches, will have the future of the sport in Scotland in their hands."