We are pleased to announce that following a successful application and intensive interview process, we have appointed both a Para-Team Manager for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and a Men’s Junior International Team Manager.
The Commonwealth Games is the pinnacle event for our sport, with England achieving 48 medals to date – three of which were from para-bowls disciplines.
Leicestershire’s Helen Wall has been appointed as the Bowls England Para-Team Manager, in an eight-month part-time role starting in January 2022.
Wall has many years’ experience at both county, national and international levels, winning the National Singles title in 2002 and going forward to represent her country at the World Champion of Champion Singles.
As a current international selector for Disability Bowls England, Wall has managed teams at local, county, and national levels and is relishing the opportunity ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 12 months’ time.
Following her appointment, Wall said: “The Disability Bowls England selector role has enabled me to appreciate not only the constraints of the different classifications and disabilities but the amazing potential some of these players have.”
The success of our performance programme is reliant on creating an environment where our junior international players can be best prepared for all competitions and maximise their potential.
Buckinghamshire’s Stuart Thomas has joined our performance team as Men’s Junior International Team Manager for a four-year period. After playing bowls for over 40 years and representing England at both junior and senior international levels, Thomas is no stranger to the international scene.
With four national titles to his name, Thomas knows how to win and is ‘looking forward to working with the squad to establish a winning formula and ethos totally aligned to the senior and high-performance squad objectives’.
The role of the Junior International Team Manager will be to implement the performance strategy and to oversee the junior international selection process in line with the directive and criteria set out by the Performance Director. The International Junior Team Manager will coordinate the communication and relationships with all men’s junior international players.
John McGuinness, Bowls England Performance Director, commented: “I am so pleased that both Helen and Stuart are now on board. They both bring with them a wealth of experience and skills that make them well-suited to these roles.”