Community Fun Run in memory of Leeds Beckett Professor

Families are welcome at the ‘Festival of Athletics’ which is open to the public and will get underway at 9.30am on Saturday 9 April at the University’s Headingley Campus running track. While the event is free, cash donations on the day to Milford Hospice, Castleroy, Limerick would be gratefully received.

Professor Duffy, who passed away in 2014, was an eminent figure in the world of Sports Coaching and was Vice President (Europe) of the International Council for Coach Education (ICCE) and the chairman of the European Coaching Council. He was also chair of the ICCE- Association of Summer Olympic International Federations project group to develop the International Sport Coaching Framework.

Organised by Leeds Beckett Athletics Club and supported by Sport and Active Lifestyles the day will include junior coaching and team competitions from 9.30am to 11.15am, a one-mile community fun run from 11.30am and then Carnegie games from 12.15pm.

Catherine Ross, Chair of Leeds Beckett’s Athletics Club and a second year Sports Science student, came up with idea for the festival and has been instrumental in its organisation after being inspired by Professor Duffy’s work.

“It is the first year we have held the festival, but we hope to make it an annual sporting event in memory of Pat,” said Catherine. “He was an inspirational leader in the field of sports coaching and his work encouraged me to be an active sports coach.”

Specialising in Sports Coaching at Leeds Beckett, Professor Duffy’s research focused on policy and sport coaching, as well as applying sports coaching to a business context. He worked on a Coaching for Performance project with Morrisons PLC, which integrated best practice from across business, sport and coaching capabilities into the day-to-day roles of managers and team leaders throughout the organisation.

Head of the School of Sport in the University’s Carnegie Faculty, Pete Mackreth, said: “We’d like to encourage as many people as possible to join us, particularly for the fun run – which promises a great family atmosphere.  The day will capture the true passion that Pat had for sport, physical activity, coaching and people.  A fitting tribute for a man who impacted positively on the lives of so many.”