Talented Athlete Support Scheme (TASS)
The Talented Athlete Support Scheme is a Sport England funded partnership between talented athletes, delivery sites and national governing bodies of sport. The collaborations work to bring the best out of the country’s most exciting young talent.
TASS supports athletes aged 16-plus to balance sport within the rest of their lives, whether they're in education, training, or another form of personal development. TASS includes more than 500 athletes in 38 Sport England sports. Nominated each year by their national governing body (NGB), all athletes have been identified as performing at the top of the Sport England Talent Pathway.
TASS provides vital support services via a national network of experienced practitioners based at 38 TASS delivery sites throughout England. These practitioners are provided with many opportunities to build knowledge and remain current, with the TASS continuing professional development programme.
UKAD Clean Sport Higher Education Partnership 2025-26
The Clean Sport Higher Education Partnership provides an opportunity for institutions across the UK to work in collaboration to raise the profile of clean sport, share best practice and shape future engagements. Through this partnership, we demonstrate the institution’s commitment to clean sport through pro-active communication and education on anti-doping.
Sporting Wellness
Sporting Wellness is the biggest provider of private mental healthcare for representative athletes in the UK. Launched in 2020, the charity has supported over 1,900 athletes across 115 sports, with the biggest demographic being university athletes. Identifying that one in three athletes suffer from a mental health or emotional issue, the charity support free counselling sessions, a 24/7/365 support line, online cognitive behavioural therapy course, as well as workshops in leadership skills and financial support.
Main wellbeing areas covered include mental and emotional health (such as anxiety, depression, stress, low mood, eating disorders), legal advice (such as landlord and tenant, motoring offences, consumer rights) and financial guidance (such as budgeting, financial calculators, debt management plans).
"Through our partnership, we are able to provide the Sport Excellence Programme athletes and alumni with unconditional access to our range of professional mental healthcare and wellbeing services all year round. We have also facilitated additional, bespoke services around financial wellbeing and career transition that complement our core services.
"Sporting Wellness’s mission is to create a parity between physical health and mental health within sport and it’s fantastic to be partnered with such a like-minded organisation that’s passionate about wholistic athlete wellbeing"
Callum Lea, Founder and CEO
IBM Athlete Network
IBM offer a free support programme for athletes, providing access to job skills and training through workshop delivery, an online IBM skills build platform and an opportunity to sign up to the unique 1-2-1 tailored mentorship programme. With a vision of focusing on transferable skills and empowering student – athletes to see the value their potential and unique skills can bring to the workplace, IBMs prioritise supporting the person first and the athlete second.
We are proud to give our athletes this opportunity of accessing this global network of over 70 current / former athletes and advocates across the country, leveraging the power of sport to drive positive change across society.
"IBM are excited to be collaborating with the Solent Sport Excellence Programme, supporting student athletes prepare for career transitions/dual careering, through access to free job skills training and mentorship."
Nitin Mishra, MCMI, ChMC, Managing Consultant and IBM Athlete Network/ Programme Lead
True Athlete Project
The True Athlete Project (TAP) believe sport has the potential to empower individuals and inspire strong communities. Their mission is to encourage that positive lessons and skills are learnt through sport, and so deliver programs which develop "true" athletes, who understand sport can make an impact far beyond the win/losses of international competition. TAP will deliver a series of workshops throughout the year, titles to help student-athletes harness their potential as sports people.
"The True Athlete Project is excited to be partnering with Solent University, working alongside the talented athletes on the Sport Excellence Programme to deliver a series of holistic wellbeing and development workshops. Solent’s commitment to our mindful approach shows they’re leading from the front and prioritising the holistic development of their student athletes, helping them thrive in both their academic and sporting endeavours. We are excited to contribute to a programme which offers such a wide range of growth opportunities."
Kirstie Irwin, Head of Holistic Development, TAP
Sodexo UK and Ireland
We're pleased to share that, for the 2025/26 Sport Excellence Programme at Southampton Solent University, we've linked up with Sodexo UK and Ireland to launch an initiative that will benefit our student athletes. Every athlete on this year's programme will receive a £100 customer dining allowance, which they can use at a range of catering outlets on campus. With this new initiative, we aim to support the nutritional needs of student athletes while they balance academic and athletic commitments.
Solent's Sport Education Partnerships Manager, Iain Molyneux says, “Here at Southampton Solent University, we’re incredibly grateful to Sodexo for their continued support of our sport excellence athletes. This initiative - providing Everyday Food app credits and a bespoke menu - helps ease the pressures of our athletes’ demanding schedules, allowing them to focus on eating well, making positive choices, and ultimately performing at their best.”
"Sodexo is delighted to be working closely with the Sport Excellence Programme on its menu development initiative for the 2025/26 fiscal year. Collaborating to align our food offerings with the expectations of Sport Excellence students has been both productive and inspiring. We’re confident that this partnership will continue to flourish and evolve in the years ahead."
Nick Hayter, Transformation Director, Sodexo
The Sport Excellence Programme is also
supported by
Kirstie Irwin - Sport Psychology
Kirstie is a sport and exercise psychologist in training with a background in elite performance as a professional athlete, whose career spanned 8 years representing Great Britain on the Olympic sailing circuit. She brings her unique insights from elite sport to psychological practice, combing performance psychology with a passion for helping athletes reach their full potential.
Kirstie brings a wealth of experience in supporting individuals and teams across a range of sports. Her approach combines evidence-based techniques with a practical, athlete-centred mindset, aiming to enhance mental resilience, focus, and confidence. Whether working with elite performers or developing athletes, Kirstie is committed to creating a positive and supportive environment that fosters both performance and wellbeing.
Molly Wisbey - Sport Nutrition
Within Molly’s role as Sport Excellence Programme Performance Nutritionist, she supports talented athletes by delivering practical, performance-focused nutrition guidance. Whether working with individuals or full squads, she covers everything from basic dietary tips and easy-to-use resources, to more advanced support like nutrition assessments, detailed meal planning, and hands-on workshops. Her focus is always on helping athletes develop lifelong habits that enhance both their performance and overall health.
