Schools
Athlete-identification frameworks integrated into PE and after-school programmes.
Athlete Development · UAE
Athlete Development and Talent Identification
Talent-identification frameworks and athlete-development pathways for federations, schools, academies and sports organisations.
Successful athlete pathways require clear progression stages, defined responsibilities and alignment between schools, clubs, coaches, federations and high-performance environments.
SLT Sports helps organisations design and strengthen the structures that identify young talent, support athlete development and prepare athletes for the demands of performance.
Athlete Pathway
Six Stages of an Athlete Pathway
A complete pathway connects six stages. We can support an organisation at one stage or across all of them.
Identify
Frameworks and tools for spotting potential across school, club and community programmes.
Assess
Structured assessment of physical, technical and developmental indicators.
Develop
Stage-appropriate development plans with clear coaching responsibilities.
Progress
Defined progression criteria from development into performance environments.
Perform
Support into high-performance squads with the systems they require.
Transition
Athlete transition support — into senior level, between sports or out of sport.
Who We Support
Audiences We Work With
Engagements are shaped to the audience and the sport. The cards below indicate where most of our pathway work sits.
Clubs & Academies
Stage-by-stage development plans that connect grassroots to club performance pathways.
Federations
National-level talent and pathway design aligned to international competition requirements.
Government Programmes
Cross-sport talent strategies and athlete-development infrastructure advisory.
High-Performance Organisations
Programme reviews and high-performance system design for teams in performance environments.
Programme Elements
Coach Education, Camps and Evaluation
Athlete development extends beyond identification alone. Coach education, training camps, high-performance programme design and independent evaluation all sit within this service.
01
Coach Education
Workshops and mentoring that build coaching capability alongside athlete-development frameworks.
02
Training Camps
Camp environments aligned to pathway stage, connected to our dedicated training-camp delivery service.
03
High-Performance Programmes
Systems and structures supporting athletes as they move into performance environments.
04
Programme Evaluation
Independent review of existing pathway, talent-identification and performance programmes against good practice.
Where a programme calls for a dedicated camp environment, we deliver this through our sports training camps service, and broader organisational strategy and governance questions are supported through sports consultancy.
Relevant Experience
Talent and Pathway Experience
This service is led by Dr Sarra Lajnef-Taylor, OLY — an Olympian, six-time Masters World Champion and five-time Guinness World Record holder whose own athletic career sits behind the pathway frameworks she now designs for others.
Founder experience includes talent-identification work across the Abu Dhabi school system, contribution to national sports strategy and high-performance programmes, and feasibility input into the expansion of elite athlete-development environments.
Each engagement is shaped to the organisation, sport and participant group. Confidential project details are not disclosed.
School-System Talent ID
Talent-identification work across Abu Dhabi schools.
National Strategy
Strategic input into national high-performance programmes.
Academy Feasibility
Feasibility input into national academy expansion.
Coaching Practice
Direct coaching experience grounding all pathway work.
Planning an athlete development or talent identification programme?
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions We Are Often Asked
Quick answers to the questions clients ask most when scoping this service.
What is athlete development and talent identification?+
It is the structured process of identifying sporting potential and progressing athletes through clear development pathways from grassroots to elite performance.
Who is this service for?+
National federations, academies, schools and sporting organisations seeking to build or strengthen athlete pathways and high-performance systems.
Do you design talent-identification frameworks from scratch?+
Yes. We design talent-identification frameworks, athlete-pathway models and high-performance systems tailored to the sport, country context and available resources.
Can you review an existing athlete pathway?+
Yes. We assess existing pathways, benchmark against international models and deliver a prioritised improvement plan with practical implementation steps.
How do you ensure athlete welfare in performance environments?+
Every framework is built on an athlete-centred philosophy and aligned with our safeguarding practice to ensure performance and welfare progress together.
Discuss a Programme
Discuss an Athlete-Development Programme
Tell us about the sport, the age range and the current pathway picture.
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