Dr Sarra Lajnef-Taylor mentoring young swimmers poolside at Amity International School Abu Dhabi

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.

  1. Identify

    Frameworks and tools for spotting potential across school, club and community programmes.

  2. Assess

    Structured assessment of physical, technical and developmental indicators.

  3. Develop

    Stage-appropriate development plans with clear coaching responsibilities.

  4. Progress

    Defined progression criteria from development into performance environments.

  5. Perform

    Support into high-performance squads with the systems they require.

  6. 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.

SLT-branded illustration of school athletes lining up on a track with a coach

Schools

Athlete-identification frameworks integrated into PE and after-school programmes.

SLT-branded illustration of swimmers training in parallel pool lanes with a coach

Clubs & Academies

Stage-by-stage development plans that connect grassroots to club performance pathways.

SLT-branded illustration of an elite athlete on a podium in a stadium with flags

Federations

National-level talent and pathway design aligned to international competition requirements.

SLT-branded illustration of a national sports complex with UAE civic skyline

Government Programmes

Cross-sport talent strategies and athlete-development infrastructure advisory.

SLT-branded illustration of a sprinter at the starting blocks with performance data motifs

High-Performance Organisations

Programme reviews and high-performance system design for teams in performance environments.

Dr Sarra Lajnef-Taylor leading a streamline warm-up with young swimmers at Storm Swimming Academy

Relevant Experience

Talent and Pathway Experience

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.

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.