The Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage is pleased to announce the appointment of a young Caymanian as Assistant Director of Sports – Programmes.
Ms Emily Kelly’s duties involve overseeing the department’s 20 coaches and sports coordinators to support them in delivering community programmes, camps, workshops, recreational leagues and events, along with school coaching sessions. She will also help to develop and maintain strong working relationships with local sports associations and organisations to increase collaborative efforts, and devise methods of assessing and evaluating programmes to maximise the department’s potential.
Director of Sports, Mr. Kurt Hyde said: “I am so pleased to welcome Ms. Kelly to the team. Her skills, experience and drive are going to greatly enhance our community programmes, and assist in ongoing talent identification and development.”
The University of Richmond, VA Bachelor of Arts graduate, brings a wealth of US collegiate coaching and administrative experience to her present role. Her time at Division 1 and Division 3 institutions includes two years of coaching at University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA; and one season coaching at her alma mater.
Ms Kelly went on to study a Master’s programme in Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center. Its curriculum sparked her interest in the administrative side of college athletics, allowing her to support student-athletes with a more holistic approach to athlete development.
Ms Kelly then secured an administrative role as the LEADS Programme Coordinator (a leadership development programme that provides a comprehensive and educational view of leadership for student athletes) at Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
Prior to joining the Department of Sports, she was Director of Student-Athlete Development at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During that time, Ms. Kelly facilitated numerous leadership and life skills workshops, guiding athletes on building a well-rounded portfolio, identifying transferrable skills, and marketing themselves as they begin to navigate life beyond sport.
Speaking about her first post on island, the former Cayman National U17 and U20 footballer said: “I’m thrilled to join the Department of Sports and work alongside so many individuals who are passionate about our islands’ sports engagement, and empowered me when I was a young athlete.
The opportunity to contribute to building a more collaborative culture to enhance the development of young Caymanians in sports – both as athletes, and those who aspire to work in the industry – energises me greatly. I’m eager to help elevate the sports landscape across our islands, and feel very grateful to be in a position to do so,” she added.
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