We are delighted that Scott has joined our BRIT Ambassador family.
Scott is Head Coach of the Vixens Wheelchair Basketball Team, Head Coach of the UK Armed Forces Wheelchair Basketball Team (as part of the Invictus Games Foundation), former Head Coach for the British Wheelchair Basketball Junior Men’s team, and Elite Performance Coach with British Wheelchair Basketball.
“As a former student at the University of Strathclyde, Teesside University, the Open University and Staffordshire University, I know first-hand that many young adults and students suffer with mental health challenges. Through my work and involvement in inclusive, adaptive and disability sports, I know of the many mental health challenges and pressures faced by young disabled and elite athletes. Supporting their mental wellbeing is vitally important; both when competing and as they transition out of sport.
There was a worrying increase in the number of students and young adults experiencing mental health challenges pre-COVID-19 and it is abundantly clear that the pandemic is continuing to have a detrimental impact on existing mental health difficulties. We must take a collaborative approach between charities, support services and organisations to support more young adults and students with mental health challenges in order to avoid long-term effects on their mental health.
The British Inspiration Trust (BRIT) Vision, to support young adult and student mental health throughout the UK, resonates with me both personally and professionally. It is inspiring to see how BRIT are partnering, or developing special relationships, with many national governing bodies throughout the Education, Sport and Charity sectors. Over the past two years, almost 180 university and college teams team have taken part in the annual BRIT Challenge and their proactive collaboration is enabling BRIT to engage every UK university and college in order to support and improve young adult mental health and fitness.
I am excited to be joining the BRIT Ambassador family and help with their aim to ensure that the annual BRIT Challenge becomes a firm fixture in every UK university and college’s Calendar of Events so every student in the UK has the opportunity to take part; being based in Portsmouth, I hope to encourage the University of Portsmouth, Highbury College and Portsmouth College to enter teams. The annual BRIT Challenge is an exciting UK-wide opportunity for students and young adults of all abilities to unite as university and college teams (at home or on campus) and take part in an inspiring annual February feel-good fundraiser.
To encourage universities and colleges to enter teams, and support young adults and students taking part in the annual BRIT Challenge, we need current and retired Olympians, Paralympians, Sports Personalities, Adventurers and Explorers, to come together and lend their support to BRIT. I urge our Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball athletes to join the BRIT Ambassador family and champion the annual BRIT Challenge at universities and colleges of their choice. By uniting as a British Wheelchair Basketball family, and embracing the annual BRIT Challenge, together we can support and improve young adult mental health and fitness throughout the UK.”
Scott graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, from Teesside University in 1999 with Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Psychology, the Open University in 2015 with a Master of Science degree in Sports Nutrition and in 2017, completed a Post Graduate Certificate (PgCert) in Higher and Professional Education (HPE) at Staffordshire University.
Since 2012, Scott has been Head Coach of the Vixens Wheelchair Basketball Team who play in the British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB) National Women’s League, coaching them to win the 2014 National title in the BWB Women’s League.
He has been the Head Coach of the UK Armed Forces Wheelchair Basketball Team, as part of the Invictus Games Foundation, since 2014, when he coached them to the Gold Medal in London at the inaugural Invictus Games and to medals in every Invictus Games thereafter.
Between 2016 and 2019, Scott was Head Coach for the British Wheelchair Basketball Junior Men’s team: winning the Silver Medal at the 2016 Kitakyushu Champions Cup in in Kitakyushu, Japan; the Silver Medal at the 2017 European Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Italy; the Gold Medal at the 2017 Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Dubai, UAE; and, the Gold Medal at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Canada. He also won the Wheelchair Basketball "Development Coach of the Year" sponsored by the Richard Langhorn Trust the same year.
In 2017/18, Scott was chosen as a Technical Coaching Mentor at Basketball Scotland and since 2018 has worked as a High Performance Consultant for Wheelchair Basketball South Africa.
Scott has been Director of Trodai Coaching since 2018 and selected as an Elite Performance Coach with British Wheelchair Basketball since 2019.
In 2021, Scott was appointed Member of the British Empire in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his tireless efforts to promote wheelchair basketball throughout the military as an important recovery method for the injured. Scott spent hours outside his military role, as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines, in coaching athletes in the Invictus Games, Paralympics and World Championships.
