Alice has ahieved qualifications in coaching rugby and is a BSc Sport  Science and Nutrition graduate. Alice plays her club rugby at Richmond and even though she is only 23 years old, Alice has already played 24 times for her country.UK All Sports wish Alice and the rest of the team the best of luck in the tournament. Please do keep visiting this page as it will be regularly updated throughout the World Cup with photos and match reports.

31/08/10; Match Report of USA game and build up to the big semi-final: An exciting encounter against USA, with a hard fought 37-10 victory, took us through to the semi final stages as top seeds where we will play Australia at the Twickenham Stoop on Wednesday September 1^st, kick off 815pm. USA played very well and the game was very closely contended, particularly in the earlier stages. It was very physical, fast paced and there were some great individual and team performances from both teams. Now we look ahead to the semi final, taking each game at a time and looking no further than that.

I have recovered from my hamstring injury after some intensive rehab and great work from the medics and for the semi  I am starting 12. I’m really looking forward to playing, it’s a really exciting time for the girls and we are all very excited about the occasion. We’ve received some really positive support and a lot of interest which is great for the women’s game. Let’s hope we can come out with another good performance on Wednesday, and fingers crossed another win.

25/08/2010; Match Report of England’s second group game against Kazakhstan; “The Kazakhstan game went really well for England on Tuesday and although they put up a really good physical battle our ability to move the ball, as well as our set pieces, allowed us to come away with another bonus point victory. The final score was 82-0 and we played well as a team, scoring some excellent tries. We are now looking forward to playing the USA on Saturday at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford, kick off 630pm, and after a day of recovery we are back to training to prepare for that encounter which we predict to be a good one!!
My hamstring injury has taken huge steps forward and it is really looking positive for me being fit for the later stages of the tournament. I am currently going through intense rehab and doing everything by the book to get it back as quickly as possible”!

23/08/2010; Match Report of England’s opener against Ireland; “The game kicked off and it was a really well fought competitive first half. I got on with just over 20 minutes left of the game at inside centre. It was a really good game to play in, and very physical. Unfortunately with 10 minutes to go I was chasing a grubber kick through and tweaked my hamstring. The last few days have consisted of lots of icing, crutches, compression and various scans!!

Fortunately the scans have come back positive and I just need a little rest time now before getting back on the pitch. The girls in the squad have been truly amazing and supportive as well as the staff over a couple of stressful days!!

On Tuesday we face Kazakhstan at 6.30pm at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford and as one of the four Non Playing Reserves I will be cheering the girls on from the sidelines, hoping we can bank another victory. Our world cup opener was a sell out, and we are hoping for more of the same. Having a packed stadium behind you really lifts you. We were also watched by 1.5 million people live on Sky Sports which is staggering as we don’t normally get those sorts of audiences”!

18/08/2010; The pre-tournament preperations; “Arriving yesterday at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford was long awaited for and for the England girls a really exciting time. We have been training hard and in and out of camps since July 1^st. The facility looks really good and has everything needed for the tournament onsite which makes it a great venue. The first few days here have been pretty busy with training and settling in. So far the team’s training and preparations are going well and everyone is looking forward to playing the first match on Friday against Ireland at 630pm and getting into the tournament.  Our much anticipated first game will  be a tough and competitive encounter with both teams looking to make a good start to their World Cup campaign. It’s great to have the World Cup on home soil, the support from the crowd should be a really positive influence and it will raise the profile of the women’s game no end”.

The WRWC match action kicks off on Friday August 20 at Guildford’s Surrey Sports Park and the semi and finals staged at the Twickenham Stoop. For tickets visit the Ticketmaster website or call 0844 844 2010. Rugby fans who buy tickets for the WRWC 2010 will also be put on a priority ticketing information list for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

Earlier ths month UK All Sports entered a horse into the Annual Pantomime Horse Race at Sandown Racecourse. The event is held each year to raise money for the Mayor of Elmbridge’s chosen charity, which was Parkinson’s UK this year, so a very worthwhile cause! Over £600 was raised on the night in bucket collections alone.

We dressed two of our keenest and fittest team members in a horses outfit for the occassion and we are happy to say that our horse The UK All Sports Flyer came in first on the night, well the front half anyway! The back of the horse was lying flat on his face a few metres from the finishing line and as the rules state any horse that becomes dettached will be disqualified. Never mind a bit more practice and we may be able to stick together next year.

It was a very enjoyable evening and a great effort from all those who took part for such a good cause. The event was actually shown on Big Brother on Channel 4 the following evening as one of the horses consisted of two housemates competing as part of a task.

UKAllSports – the journey so far…

Having grown up through school playing football with Nick or ‘Smithy’ as we used to call him, it was always obvious he was driven in nature. The first one out to training and the last one back in at the end. Equally in his studies, Nick stood out as having the best work ethic, he always seemed to be willing to put in that extra hour of revision, and churn out another page of notes.

Not having seen Nick for a good few months, I was greeted with the same beaming grin as always, and as he sat down, he exuded the same confidence he’d always had but with a slightly more professional air about him. Reclining in his chair for a moment he mentioned being tired after a morning of meetings with clients, “always happy to help out a friend though” he smiled, and so we began.

After graduating with a BA Honours in Sport Science from Loughborough, Nick wasted no time in starting up his own coaching company with fellow graduate and close friend Chris Bryant-Mansell.

Initially UK All Sports was set up directly as a coaching company, but it quickly became clear to both Nick and Chris that there was a gap in the recruitment sector of the market. They realised there was an abundance of institutions, schools and colleges as well as a large number of coaches looking for work. “No one had put the two together, so that’s where we come in.”

With very little personal capital of his own to invest in the start up of the company, Nick sought the assistance of his father Mike. Being of an entrepreneurial background himself, Mike was more than willing to pass on valuable contacts, as well as offering the necessary investment needed to get UK All Sports off the ground. “We just had to pull in a lot of favours,” Nick remarked.

When asked what his aspirations were for the company when they started, Nick responded; “we want to become the first place people come if they need a coach, and the first place coaches come if they need a job”. Having changed the original concept behind the company, UK All Sports now had a specific direction, attempting to fill a gap in the coaching recruitment market. “we have been learning as we go along really, it’s the same with anything” Nick continued, “initially it was harder, but now we have got to grasps with what we’re doing and the route we are taking it’s been going from strength to strength”.

UK All Sports now boasts an impressive spectrum of representatives ranging from the current badminton commonwealth gold medallist, to an Olympic Judo bronze medallist. “It’s just an ongoing process now”, whilst having to look after all their current clients it is important that UK All Sports continue to expand their database of coaches. “The more top level coaches we can obtain, the more attractive our company looks to potential clients”. By continually increasing their range of clients and maintaining the high level of coaches they offer, UK All Sports will continue to attract better coaches, and in turn will gain improved business from clients.

“It’s all about our reputation and continuing to improve it and built on our relations with our coaches and clients.” Nick speaks with an excitable tone in his voice, and in doing so conveys a real belief in his company and what they are trying to achieve. “As our service is judged by the coaches we provide it is of paramount importance they do not let us down.” It is obvious this has become an imperative function of operations for UK All Sports, their coaches are essentially their brand image, and must therefore give an impeccable reflection on UK All Sports as a company. “We constantly overcome this by screening our coaches to ensure they are up to standard. This is time consuming as we do now have over 2000 coaches but the process is essential.”

It has not all been plain sailing for Nick and Chris, coming up to their first full year in business. With over 2000 coaches on their constantly expanding database and some more substantial contracts materializing more frequently, Nick reminds me it has been hard work, and a lot of time and effort has got them where they are today. “There were times when we thought where are going with this?” He spoke of days on end where it had seemed they were going in circles without any reward. “In the first few months it was difficult to see things getting moving, we weren’t sure where the money was going to come from!” he exclaimed.

It is obvious that the help of his family and friends has helped Nick to continue to believe that he could make this a success. “It could be hard to keep morale up, but that’s where I have to thank my family, my parents for continuing to believe in what I was doing, you definitely need that to keep you going when times get tough.”

So what does the future hold for UK All Sports? Nearing the end of their first year, it seems as though Nick and Chris have really managed to assert themselves on the company and in turn the market they are entering. It is obvious they have built a clear and distinct understanding of what it is they are trying to achieve, and what it is they can offer the coaching recruitment world. Nick’s confidence is infectious, and this will inevitably be emanated when he approaches future prospective clients. By staying positive and keeping themselves grounded amid their early successes, UK All Sports seem to be heading at a good pace down the road to success.

For more information about UK All Sports please visit the website http://www.ukallsports.com/

By Jonathan Stevenson

Contact us now with details of your camp and we will begin to find you the perfect team.

info@ukallsports.com

Tracey can provide master classes in badmiton for the top players, taster days for new players and a chance to see the Gold Medal itself!!

Find out more about what UK All Sports can offer, send your enquiry to info@ukallsports.com