In this episode I was delighted to welcome, Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath to the show.

Stephen discusses his career journey and the role of sport at the university. He highlights the importance of partnerships in supporting performance athletes and the success of Team Bath. He also addresses the challenges facing the higher education sector, including funding constraints and increasing costs. Despite these challenges, he emphasizes the value of sport in the university's reputation and student experience. In this part of the conversation, Stephen Baddeley discusses the challenges of advocating for sport internally and the difficulty of demonstrating the value of sport in a mechanistic way. He reflects on the loss of the netball franchise and the financial challenges faced by universities in supporting professional or semi-professional teams. He shares the greatest moment in his career, winning the European Championships in badminton, and the person who had the biggest influence on him. He also offers three pieces of advice for aspiring HE sport professionals: focus on finances, don't avoid difficult conversations, and be open to changing your mind.

Stephen recommends The One Minute Manager by Blanchard & Johnson as a resource he recommends.