Ellen Barwise: Director of Development and CGA Relationships
Richard de Groen: Head of Programmes and CGA Investments
Ryan Brathwaite: Regional Development Manager - Caribbean and Americas
Ezera Tshabangu: Regional Development Manager - Africa and Europe
Mel Cooper: Regional Development Manager - Asia and Oceania
Jeremiah Mpofu: Development Support Officer
The Development and CGA Relationships Department supports the Commonwealth Games Associations to be great organisations in preparation, performance and celebration enabling all 74 CGAs to actively contribute to the development of sport and sport for development in the Commonwealth.
There are three priorities within the Development workstream:
- Build and manage strong, meaningful partnerships with all CGAs.
- Support all CGAs to be great organisations in preparation, performance and celebration.
- Enable all CGAs to contribute to the development of sport and sports for development actively.
In addition, the Department manages the delivery of the Commonwealth Sport funded programmes. These programmes are aligned with the strategic priorities to develop inclusive sport opportunities throughout the Commonwealth for everyone. Whether this is providing the opportunity to work within the sports sector or developing an inclusive sport participation pathway, the funded programmes strive to ensure that every individual can find their place within sport.
The programmes being delivered to date include:
GAPS – Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain - The GAPS programme is for emerging athletes and coaches from the Commonwealth. It aims to support the development of inclusive sport pathways, removing barriers to participation for people with a disability and for women & girls to become actively involved in sport.
eqUIP - eqUIP is a Commonwealth wide approach to develop youth leaders through internship and employment opportunities, empowering them to make a positive contribution to their communities through sport. CGAs provide an opportunity for young leaders to join them in a year-long placement during which interactive educational workshops are delivered by the CGF.
Games Changers - The Game Changers grants are exclusively available to Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) for projects that are more than just a sporting event but have a social impact component to them to create community level change.
Women’s Leadership Programme - The Commonwealth Sport Women's Leadership Program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at supporting and empowering women from the Commonwealth on their personal development journeys towards becoming influential leaders and agents of change in the field of sports. The program offers scholarships of £5,000 to eligible female leaders to provide financial assistance on their individual development pathways.
At present, the team comprises six staff: the Director, Head of Programmes and Investment, three Regional Managers operating across Africa and Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Caribbean and Americas and the Development Support Officer.
