New programme to help students maximise their sporting potential

A new programme is being introduced to provide more than 160 University of Bath student-athletes with bespoke support to help them maximise their academic and sporting potential.

Some of the student-athletes taking part in the programme | Photo © Team Bath

Supported by Team Bath partners Rengen, the Student Performance Sport Breakthrough Programme offers best-practice personal development and performance support to students.

The group have been identified as having long-term athletic potential, as they seek to make the step up from pre-elite level to sustained sporting success.

As well as free access to the facilities at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, Breakthrough athletes benefit from regular strength and conditioning sessions in the gym and recovery clinics in the Team Bath Physio and Sport Science Centre.

They can also speak to one of four on-campus Athlete Personal Development and Lifestyle (APDL) advisors, who offer advice and support as students navigate the demands of their dual sporting and academic careers.

Round-the-clock mental health support is provided by the Sporting Wellness charity, and special consideration can be provided for academic flexibility should training camps or competition clash with coursework and exams.

Welcoming the 2024-25 intake of Breakthrough athletes, Performance Sport Officer Sarah Collin said: “We want to be the UK’s best environment for student-athletes to realise their academic and athletic potential, and the Breakthrough Programme is central to that goal.

“Our objectives are recruiting and developing a diverse range of exceptional people, delivering an environment which enables them to achieve their potential, and raising the University’s profile through sports performance and individual long-term impact.”

Rengen is the Main Partner of the Breakthrough Programme and the company’s CEO Iestyn Lewis is an advocate for supporting student-athletes having himself combined a structural engineering degree at the University of Bath with a successful playing career at Bath Rugby.

He said: “The reason I am able to do what I do now professionally is because of the support I received from the University as a student-athlete.

“It gave me an invaluable opportunity to study at the highest level while continuing to play elite sport, standing me in good stead for both parts of my career.

“I am delighted that we at Rengen can support these talented and dedicated young people on their sporting and academic journeys. I’m excited to see what they achieve in the months and years ahead.”

Rengen will publicly celebrate the achievements of Breakthrough Programme participants by awarding an Athlete of the Month accolade.