A golden future awaits for Commonwealth Games England as they plan to build on a historic summer in Birmingham.
Across 11 thrilling days of action, Team England won a record 176 medals, 57 of them gold, more than ever before.
The showpiece gripped the nation for a fortnight but it took years of preparation to make sure everything was perfect for the 438 English athletes competing.
Commonwealth Games England was more than just the athletes; hundreds of backroom staff and volunteers played their part in an unforgettable summer.
It is the sense of community across the summer that Frankie Kelly, Head of Performance and Sport Engagement, and Deputy Chef de Mission looks back on most fondly.
Collaboration & Team Working Award
— UK Sport (@uk_sport) November 29, 2022
🏆Commonwealth Games England - @TeamEngland
They undertook an unparalleled collaboration with other system partners to bring together the best and most diverse team to create an optimal support environment 💫#PLx2022 pic.twitter.com/bG0AXOwiaZ
She said: “There was a real energy around the team and across the different sites, from immersion camp right through to the villages and the city centre.
“I think there was a real expectation around the team as well so once competition got underway, and Alex Yee had the first gold medal and we had a really good night in the pool, the team were really thriving and bouncing off of each other.
“Everybody was really supportive and proud to be representing Team England, and really brought into the culture that we were creating.
“The feedback we’ve had has been fantastic really. Many people have said that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not just being part of the team but also being part of the team at home.
“That’s a key focus now, looking ahead for how we can build on that success and that energy, that momentum that we’ve started in Birmingham, because people want to be part of the team and that is fantastic.”
It takes a village to raise an athlete.
— UK Sport (@uk_sport) November 29, 2022
This is the power of the collective.
💥@Joelanetkd1998, @GBTaekwondo
🛹Lola Tambling, @SkateboardGB
🥌@BruceMouat, @BritishCurling #PLx2022 pic.twitter.com/kj5MMn4gTO
Kelly has recently been announced as Chef de Mission for the team ahead of the next Games in Victoria, Australia, set to be held in March 2026.
And with plenty of exciting challenges ahead, the future looks bright.
Kelly added: “We’re in the really early stages of prepping for the next one.
“The sport programme has recently been confirmed, it’s a really interesting and diverse programme with a couple of new sports - BMX, golf and coastal rowing.
“We’re in our early stages of planning what our delivery team will look like. We’re going on our first reccy in the new year to start to understand the landscape of the different locations and how we can best prepare the team for a prep camp. Our staffing and volunteering structure are all in the early stages of development.
“We’re looking ahead for that in 2026 but before that we’ve got a youth event that’s taking place next summer. We’re taking a team of around 60 athletes to Trinidad & Tobago to compete at the Youth Commonwealth Games, where we’ll be competing in five different sports.
“We’ve got lots to look forward to over the next couple of years, to be able to build on the success of Birmingham.”
All the hard work put in place over the past few years has seen Commonwealth Games England awarded the Collaboration and Team Working Award at UK Sport’s PLx Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to the high-performance community.
“I think winning this award for us is a real celebration of the success that the team have had, not just in the 11 days of competition in the summer but all the hard work that went into the planning of the games from two years to go, particularly in the time of the pandemic and people having to work from home,” said Kelly.
“I think the recognition of winning an award that’s about collaboration is something we can all be really proud of. The games were a huge success, it was our most successful Team England ever in terms of the medal count, but more than that I think our team culture was fantastic.”
The PLx awards are organised by UK Sport, the nation’s high-performance experts. Through strategic leadership and investment of National Lottery and Government funds, UK Sport has transformed high-performance sport, winning more Olympic and Paralympic medals than ever before. For more information visit https://www.uksport.gov.uk/
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