Advisory Boards | Switch The Play

Athlete Services Advisory Board

The athlete services board will help with the development of current and new support to sportspeople, bringing insight from the world of sport and business to ensure all beneficiaries are given the confidence to transition to life outside of sport successfully.

Stephen MitchellSwitch the Play Foundation Trustee and founder of Sporting People and Sport for Confidence

Emma Wiggs MBEDouble Paralympic Champion & 10 times World Champion

Gemma Carter-Morris Director of Wellbeing and Client Relationships at Next Steps Consulting

Helen RobertsPlayer Care Manager at Aston Villa Football Club

Lynsey Douglas Head of Brands at Nielsen

Richard SmithEducation Programme Manager at British Gymnastics

Stephen Mitchell

Role

Switch the Play Foundation Trustee and founder of Sporting People and Sport for Confidence

Biography

Mitch has been with Switch the Play since 2014, and moved into a Trustee role in 2020. In our formative years, Mitch helped the organisation grow using StP as the organisation through which he completed consultancy projects with the Premier League, AoC Sport and BUCS. This included his leadership work in convening a group of experts to design and secure approval for the Level Sporting Excellence Professional Apprenticeship Standard which is delivered across professional sport academy environments. He has experience and networks across the sporting landscape working in and around talent pathways and player welfare for over 15 years. Mitch has a portfolio of interests including another charitable trustee role with the Coach Core Foundation; Board and NED roles with Sport for Confidence, Propel Teams, Transcend Awards and Karalius Education; and works in the people development space through his Sporting People brand where he supports organisations to take a modern and ambitious approach to leadership, governance and coaching.

Emma Wiggs MBE

Role

Double Paralympic Champion & 10 times World Champion

Biography

Emma is passionate about the power of sport to make positive changes to peoples lives.

Gemma Carter-Morris

Role

Director of Wellbeing and Client Relationships at Next Steps Consulting

Biography

Gemma previously worked in Higher Education Sport for 15 years developing student sports opportunities and supporting student athletes to combine their academic studies with their sporting aspirations.

Gemma has subsequently changed careers and now works within organisational wellbeing and coaching and is passionate about working with individuals to support them to be the best version of themselves and reach their potential. Gemma uses a wellbeing approach in her coaching to help people to focus on themselves so they are better equipped to navigate change, transition careers, build confidence and resilience, find purpose and become more effective both in their professional and personal lives.

In Gemma’s spare time, her and her husband own a hospitality business which includes two pubs, a wedding venue and a wedding catering business. When time allows Gemma plays tennis, plods the pavements and enjoys a meal out!

Helen Roberts

Role

Player Care Manager at Aston Villa Football Club

Biography

Helen Roberts is the Player Care Manager at Aston Villa Football Club specialising in athlete and elite teams wellbeing and personal development for performance, having worked within Olympic/Paralympic and Higher Education sport previously. Helen has a MSc Sport and Exercise Science and a PGDip in Mentoring and Coaching which help form a flourishing person centred holistic development philosophy.

Lynsey Douglas

Role

Head of Brands at Nielsen

Biography

Lynsey has worked for Nielsen Sports in the UK since 2016 and heads up Client Strategy, providing strategic insights and measurement to major brand & rights holders clients. Lynsey has also taken on the role of Women's Sport global lead, driving forward Nielsen Sport's focus on supporting the sports industry to develop Women's sport through data.

Lynsey has 15 years experience in the sport's industry, both rights holder side with Williams F1 and on major brand's sponsorship activation, including Land Rover and Lucozade Sport. Outside of her career, Lynsey achieved 30 caps for Scotland including playing in two Rugby World Cups and was previously chair of Wasps Ladies FC.

Richard Smith

Role

Education Programme Manager at British Gymnastics

Biography

Richard works at British Gymnastics as National Education Programme Manager, overseeing the national pathway of coaches from development through to high performance. Prior to this, Richard started his career at Loughborough University, where he worked after graduating, before moving onto work for the English Institute of Sport as a Performance Lifestyle Advisor. Here he worked with Taekwondo, Para-Cycling and Boxing during the Tokyo 2016 Olympic cycle, qualifying as an Executive Coach and Mentor in the process. Richard also sits on the Squash Wales Board as Director of Sport. Richard hopes to bring his experience and passion from his various roles to support Switch The Play in achieving its ambitions moving forward.

Fundraising Advisory Board

The Fundraising advisory board will support Switch the Play with the delivery and execution of our fundraising strategy. It will help Switch the Play raise crucial funds to enable the Foundation to continue to provide vital transition and wellbeing support services for sportspeople.

Stacey Knight Marketing Director of CSM Live and Switch the Play Trustee

Daniel GoodacreHead of Strategy & Business Services at The Football Association

Mark HolmanExperienced Sport and Business Professional

Stacey Knight

Role

Marketing Director of CSM Live and Switch the Play Trustee

Biography

An award winning creative, commercial and communications director, Stacey has succeeded in delivering financial success, developing exceptional corporate teams and a marketing pioneer to boot. Currently a Commercial and Marketing Director for sports and entertainment agency CSM Live, along with a NED for the Rugby League World Cup 2021, when Stacey isn’t in the board room she can be found practicing her martial arts and passion for sky diving! Stacey assists the charity with all areas of governance, predominantly supporting the Foundation with fundraising and marketing.

Daniel Goodacre

Role

Head of Strategy & Business Services at The Football Association

Biography

Daniel is passionate about sports development at all levels of sport. He is The Football Association’s Head of Strategy & Business Services for the grassroots game and the former Chair of East London Hockey Club. In both organisations he has led the development and delivery of long-term, purpose-focused strategies that place people at their heart. His strategy expertise was refined whilst working at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and in the strategy team at Barclaycard. In his spare time Daniel still coaches, umpires and plays hockey.

Mark Holman

Role

Experienced Sport and Business Professional

Biography

Mark's background is in the Automotive Industry, he is a trained technician and has worked in customer service with brands such as Lotus, Mercedes Jaguar Land Rover. Mark is currently an Aftersales Controller for a Honda Dealership. Married for over 36 years and have two grown-up children aged 24 and 27.

Sport has always been a big part of Mark's life; he used to play football and cricket with his father and in later years he moved more into Rugby. He recently look the RFU Level 1 Coaching badge and has enjoyed going into schools coaching rugby and carrying out the role of Schools Liaison for a local Rugby Club.

Mark has assisted athletes with facilitating introductions to a trusted network of companies within Sport and Business. Mark is thrilled to join Switch the Play Foundation Advisory board as he believes that having a trusted support network around you is so important.