Meet Our Coaches

Highly Qualified & Experienced Coaches

At Leeds City Athletic Club, our coaches are at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud to be supported by a dedicated team of highly qualified and experienced coaches who volunteer their time each week to help athletes of all ages and abilities develop, improve, and achieve their goals.

Our coaching team brings a wealth of expertise across track and field, endurance events, wheelchair racing and more, underpinned by professional qualifications and a passion for athletics. They are committed to creating a positive, inclusive and inspiring training environment — helping our athletes to grow in confidence, performance and love for the sport. Every session reflects our club’s values of teamwork, progress and enjoyment in athletics.

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Maria Townsend

Welfare and Support staff, Young Athlete Coaches

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Club Secretary, Committee member and Coach

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Maria is the heart and soul of Leeds City, and over many years she has contributed to the club in various roles. Currently, Maria is the Club Secretary, which involves working closely with the council to ensure the smooth operation of the club, from facility management to health and safety. Maria also coordinates the coaches, sits on the Committee and the Trust and is often the first port of call should anyone need a matter to be solved.

Anita French

Welfare and Support staff

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Clerical Only

Coaching & Roles:

Welfare Officer

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Anita has joined Leeds City as a Welfare Officer, and is available for a chat should you have any concerns. We take safeguarding matters very seriously within the club and Anita, with her experience, will be able to assist you should need to report a problem.

Mark Thornton

Welfare and Support staff

Qualifications:

New Athlete Liason Officer

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

New Athlete Liason Officer

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Mark is the first person you are likely to meet when joining Leeds City. He will guide you through the whole process from introducing you to the coaches, explaining how the club operates and much more! Mark encourages athletes to compete and strive to be better and is always available for those in need of a little advice. A force for good at Leeds City and we are proud to have Mark on our team.

Mia Thornton

Lions Coaches

Qualifications:

Athlete and Lions assistant

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Sprinting, Long Jump, Relay

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Mia is an athlete here at Leeds City, and a good one at that! When an unfortunate injury ruled Mia out of competiting, she threw herself into helping the Lions and quickly became an athlete favourite. Mia is an integral part of the Lions team, who brings her own experience to our Under 11 athletes.

Mark Johnson

Pole Vault

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Pole Vault

Availability:

Please contact the club via the Enquiry Form.

About:

Mark is an ex international pole vaulter and he hold numerous masters records. His goal is to pass on his knowledge and experience to the new generation of pole vaulters.

Steve Lisgo

Endurance Coaches, Young Athlete Coaches

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Endurance running

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Steve Lisgo coaches our young athletes who have a passion for endurance running. Leeds City has a strong history of producing excellent endurance runners and Steve is responsible for finding and developing the latest crop! Steve was an international steeplechaser competing at the Commonwealth Games.

Pete French

Lions Coaches

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Fundamentals of running, jumping and throwing.

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Pete French, a relative new comer to Leeds City, coaches alongside Jamie Samuel in the Lions. Pete is also on the committee and is working towards improving communication, within and outside of the club.

Brett Jenkins

Multi-Event Coaches, Young Athlete Coaches

Qualifications:

Please see England Athletics portal.

Disciplines:

Coaching & Roles:

Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Putt

Availability:

Tuesday and Thursday

About:

Brett Jenkins, originally from North Devon, has a vast amount of experience both as an athlete and as a coach. Brett coaches Young Athletes in a number of events, including Hurdles, Long Jump and Shot Put. A number of Brett’s athletes have medaled in competitions such as the Yorkshire Championships.

Interested in Coaching or Volunteering?

If you’d like to get involved with Leeds City Athletics, there are plenty of ways to make a real difference, whether as a coach or a volunteer. You can use your existing skills to help our athletes thrive, or develop new ones through training opportunities provided by the club. Every role matters, and we’d love to hear from anyone eager to join our team — please get in touch to find out more!

What’s been happening recently ...

Catch up with the latest from Leeds City Athletics Club — from standout performances and club events to training sessions and community highlights. Browse our recent gallery for snapshots of the action, and read our newest blog posts to see what our athletes and members have been up to.