News

New Head of Performance Support announced for British Equestrian

Tuesday, 13 June 2023

British Equestrian (BEF) and the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) are delighted to confirm the appointment of Amanda Evans as Head of Performance Support for the Equestrian World Class Programme (WCP), funded by the National Lottery.

The Head of Performance Support (HoPS) role focuses on working with our performance teams to maximise the impact of science, medicine and technology and harmonising it with coaching and performance for the athletes and horses to make a positive performance impact. All sports under the UKSI have a similar role in place, and the position will co-ordinate the alignment of sports science and medicine provision with individual athlete development plans and provide the operational delivery of performance support services.

With nine years of experience of working at UK Athletics and national competitor in track and field events, Amanda is no stranger to the elite sports performance environment and creating an environment for athletes to maximise their potential. For five years, she held the role of Paralympic Performance Programme Manager before expanding the role to cover the Olympic Programme also.

In 2020, Amanda added the Level 5 in management and leadership to her CV alongside her BA (Hons) in Sport Business Management. She’s also a Level 2 coach so understands the vital relationship between trainer and athlete.

Helen Nicholls commented; “Amanda brings a wealth of expertise to the team and I feel she’ll be a great asset as we prepare for Paris and into the next cycle. She has great communication skills and is a natural leader of people, both crucial in this role as are building strong relationships and working collaboratively. She’s experienced elite sport in a variety of roles which ideally places her to work with the athletes, their home teams and the WCP staff and practitioners. We’re thrilled to have her on board and are looking forward to her joining in July.”

Amanda will join the team at BEF on Monday 3 July just as our squads prepare for this year’s FEI European Championships in France, Italy and Germany, before the build up for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games begins in earnest. Alongside Performance Director Helen Nicholls, Amanda will work closely with the Performance Managers, Caroline Griffith (dressage), Richard Waygood (eventing), Georgina Sharples (para dressage), Di Lampard (showjumping), Ash Wallace, Lead of Athlete Health and the Human Sports Science and Medicine team, and John McEwen, Head of Equine Sports Science and Medicine.

On her appointment, Amanda commented; “I’m excited to be joining British Equestrian at a key time for the sport in the approach to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris next year. 

“After a successful Games in Tokyo, I’m looking forward to working with the team at British Equestrian and bringing my experiences from athletics over the last nine years to support the athletes, coaches and wider WCP to have maximum impact on their performance in Paris 2024 and beyond.”