The Department

Will joined Ampleforth after retiring from professional rugby, playing his final game for Gloucester in front of a packed Kingsholm after 187 appearances. Will was also part of the 2007 Welsh World Cup squad playing four games. Will leads the 1st XV and has had an immediate impact on the forwards. Will also heads up the Sports Development programme. This very important area of Ampleforth Sport ties in all the most promising sportsmen and women with lectures on nutrition to practical sessions on SAQ, strength and conditioning and swim fit. With the new Strength and conditioning unit, we are able to offer bespoke training for each athlete which Will oversees. Will is also a Tutor in St Thomas’ House.

Gemma joined us in 2016 and is Ampleforth's first ever female Director of Sport. Gemma spent the first nine years of her teaching career in Formby, Liverpool before moving to Dubai where she was appointed Director of Sport at Jumeirah English Speaking School. Gemma spent three years in Dubai before returning  to Yorkshire to undertake her new role at Ampleforth, in which she has re-structured the department to encourage a smooth transition between St Martin's Ampleforth and Ampleforth College and embedded the six Core Sports Values into everything the department does (Pride, Ownership, Work Ethic, Enjoyment, Resilience and Team). Gemma also played National League hockey and county cricket. 

Mike has been involved with the College for a number of years as both a teaching assistant and gap year student.  He is now part of the Graduate Teaching Programme, having graduated from University of Cumbria with a specialism in Strength and Conditioning. Mike teaches Rugby and Cricket as well as assisting Jack and Will in delivering Strength and Conditioning.

Joe is newly graduated from Leeds Beckett University with his specialised sport being Hockey. He has represented Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Hockey club, and Scotland U21s in most recent years. Joe has a great passion for sport, and gaining experience to become a better teacher and coach. Joe has a Level 1 Tennis coaching qualification and a qualification in teaching athletics in a secondary school. 

After graduating from Durham, David completed a PGCE at Alnwick. He has over 15 years experience of teaching PE and coaching sport within a variety of educational settings. David played Rugby many times for Yorkshire, with whom he won the County Championship at Twickenham. He retired  from a semi-professional contract in 2013 after playing 13 seasons at National 1 for Wharfedale RUFC, where he achieved a club record for most first team appearances and holds a National League record for most consecutive appearances. David is a Level 3 Rugby Coach, Level 2 Gym Instructor and a Level 2 Cricket Coach. 

Gary retired from International Institutional Investment Management in 2016 after 36 successful years in the industry.

He qualified as a Level 3 RFU Coach in 2007 and is currently the Head National Coach of Latvian Rugby, at both 15s & 7s. He played in Yorkshire Carnegies first ever game, and his extensive Coaching experience includes both the Yorkshire Men’s Senior & U18 Teams, together with been Director of Rugby at Otley RUFC in National 1 & 2. During his time at Otley he also coached one of their Junior teams, winning 3 National Championships at Twickenham, 1 Northern Division Cup and 5 Yorkshire Cups.

Jodie joined Ampleforth after completing her teacher training at The grammar School, Leeds. She has a specialism in Netball and leads on the continuing growth of this sport across the school. She also contributes to the hockey programme and heads up the rounder's programme in the summer term. Jodie has played in the Yorkshire 'superleague' and has contributed to the development of their younger players. She is also a tutor in St Oswald's House. 

Sam has played and coached to an extremely high level, working at some of the best tennis clubs in the country. Reaching the top 5 in the UK and representing Great Britain, Sam competed internationally for a number of years, winning National titles in singles and doubles. Sam has a wealth of experience coaching at all levels and has worked with regional and national level players, even travelling with professional players.

Justin joined us from Woldingham School where he held the role of Teacher of PE and Hockey specialist at Woldingham School. He was also the Head Hockey Coach for the University of Kent and coached in the England Hockey Player Pathway System. During Justin’s time studying Sport and Exercise Science at Cardiff Metropolitan University he represented: Cardiff Met University’s Men’s 1st team, Cardiff & Met Hockey 1st team (National League Hockey), Welsh Universities Team (BUCS Home Nations), Wales U18 & Wales U21. Justin is also the Year 10 tutor of St Hugh’s House.

Aaron graduated York St John University in May 2019, with a BA Hons in Sports Development & Coaching. In addition teaching golf, Aaron also specialises in cricket, having represented his university team and competed at district level. He also has a Level 1 coaching Qualification in Football. 

Elena has represented her district and county within Netball, Hockey and Athletics. When she was younger she represented York city athletics club and her county at the England Institute of Sport in the 800m and triple jump.  She was part of the Scarborough sixth form college team which progressed to the county rounds at Harrogate for two consecutive years and was also the captain of their evening league team which won the 2015/16 division 3 tournament. At University she played netball and cricket representing the university within the Northern 2B netball league and Northern 4B cricket league.  She currently holds a level 1 and foundation level 1 coaching badge in Netball and cricket and is looking to proceed towards the level two qualifications.

Tom has joined the College sports department this year, having previously worked as a civil servant after graduating from the University of Bath with a biology degree in 2015. While a civil servant, Tom coached rugby teams in London in his spare time. At the College, Tom's focus is on rugby coaching, while assisting with the delivery of swimming and strength and conditioning training.