Matthew Williams

Torfaen Strength Academy (TSA)

Mission Statement: 

“To increase the popularity of weightlifting in all aspects for all ages and abilities” 

 Through -  

• Encompassing all grassroot weightlifting and sportspeople. From beginners; schools; all age ranges and those with any disability. 

• Strongly supporting competitive, elite, members. 
• Offering the best training environment, coaching and equipment in Torfaen. 
• Specifically catering for every athlete’s current, continuous, and developing, needs.  

How do we accomplish this? 

• Grassroots engagement within schools is high priority for our facility through getting Torfaen Junior schools, Comprehensives schools and ALN schools involved with weightlifting. 

• The variety of exercises surrounding weightlifting will not only promote joint, ligament, cartilage health and stability, but will also, most importantly, hit the Curriculum for Wales objective of creating healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.  
• We will liaise with staff and pupils to improve their knowledge of correct movement. 
• For those pupils/students wishing to continue their weightlifting journey with us then they have an opportunity to join us at our gym for 4 free, coach led, sessions and then progress, if they wish, to our junior memberships where they can enter competitions that are British Weightlifting Association affiliated. 
• At the top end of our weightlifting offer we will be having Elite members who compete at National and International level. 
• Our gym will support these elite athletes by ensuring their training equipment is of competition standard and that pathways to optimised performance is as smooth as can possibly be, through links with nutritionists, quality coaches, physiotherapists, sponsorships and having regular check-ins with our gym directors.  

• We will run club competitions, and open competitions, that will enable all our club members, of all age/weight categories, compete against other clubs if they so wish.  
• Between grassroot and elite categories comes our club competitors; those having personal training; and those sportspersons wishing to improve their strength and conditioning to enhance their specific sport. If they wish to try weightlifting we will make sure they are provided with a coach for their first session.  
• We will liaise closely with all parties to provide facilities and equipment that make their experience at TSA the best possible. 
• And last, but not least, we wish as part of our ‘Community Engagement Programme’ (CEP) to introduce weightlifting, and the importance of movement, into the Senior Citizen and the Additional Learning Needs communities. Through liaising with Torfaen Sports Development; Local Senior Citizen organisations; contacts within ALN Schools; and Day Care Centres we wish to invite groups to participate in light structured sessions to increase movement and flexibility. Again, a progression to weightlifting will be welcomed and supported within our facilities.  
• The second part of this initiative is to provide work experience; job opportunities; references; and qualifications, within a gym environment, for our ALN participants to further support their chances of gaining meaningful employment within the sports/leisure sector.