WHO ARE WE?
The 2050 Sports Project was founded by Claire Bowes and Dr. Neal Bowes (PhD.); youth sport experts with over 50 combined years working as sport science practioners and over 30, 000 hours of working with young athletes. They have the unique perspective of seeing youth sport from multiple angles, as sport science professionals, coaches, educators and parents.
Who we are
Dr. Neal Bowes (PhD.)
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Neal is a performance psychologist, writer and speaker. He is an expert in developing young athletes, many of whom have gone on to compete at US college, national, professional and Olympic level. He has delivered over 20,000 direct hours with over 1,000 young athletes whose example successes include: international selection for major events, national level selection, professional contracts, and scholarships to top USA colleges. Neal is a qualified teacher, qualified coach and former national level coach educator who has been a long-term advocate for ensuring children get access to psychological skills training from a young age. His PhD research was one of the first studies to develop a practical approach to changing the learning environment for positive psychological effect. The resulting CARE program has been used extensively in schools and coaching organizations benefitting hundreds of thousands of children. His former high level playing experience in football gives him an excellent insight into the demands of high-performance sport.
Claire Bowes
Claire is a sports physiologist and educator. After years of working in elite sport she co-founded SPG Inc., in the DC Metro area (USA). She trained 100’s of young athletes who with her support competed internationally, won national titles, achieved national team selection, and secured recruitment to top US college programs. Recognising the need to tackle unnecessary early specialisation, she designed several innovative sports skills programs for young athletes focused on developing physical literacy and speed & agility. These courses were extremely popular throughout the area. In her educational role, she created and delivered the popular course Children in Sport at the George Washington University. Her thought-provoking approach to tackling the issues and myths that negatively affect children’s experience in sport and proposed future solutions won her a nomination for Professor of the Year by the collegiate athletes. Her years as a competitive swimmer and triathlete gives her a strong understanding of the daily demands on teen endurance athletes. Lastly as parents to their sports mad twin boys, they are themselves immersed in youth sport. From cheering them on in the cold at cross-country, to coaching their sports, and refereeing the slightly wild hockey matches in the garden, sport is an integral part of their lives.
Our story
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
The Lorax
Our worlds met by chance. A job change put us in the same place at the same time. Despite coming from different disciplines, we quickly connected over one common theme: making sports better for athletes. We were both driven to make sports science more practical, usable and accessible. When we returned from either the lab or a national training camp our conversations always homed in on sharing our experiences of how to offer great support to athletes. It was clear we both had a passion for doing things the right way.
After getting married we headed across the pond to set up a sports performance company in the USA, to focus on practising our skillsets with a wider range of athletes. We specialised in working with young athletes as we knew the importance of getting things right from the beginning. Being immersed all day every day in the realities of youth sport provided us with clear evidence of what worked, what didn’t and what problems existed. Sadly, more time was spent dealing on what doesn’t work. Athletes with unnecessary overuse injuries due to early sport specialisation or performance limits due to lack of physical literacy. Athletes under-performing due to anxiety and fear of mistakes, because no one had ever taught them how to be confident. Parents anxious about their 10-year-old child being ‘left behind’ due to poor information and scaremongering.
As we tackled these types of issues, we also saw the other side; what happens when you do it the right way. We saw athletes with the right skills jump in performance, overcome barriers and cope with the demands competitive sport throws at you. We saw enjoyment, a new focus for learning and the successes that followed. We saw parents breathe, make better decisions and escape the fears of the early specialisation trap. As we grew, we were able to bring positive change for over 1,000 athletes.
The arrival of twin boys, and the distance from our families, prompted a move back across the pond and the conversation about how we could make youth sport better for a much larger number of athletes. We saw that our combination of disciplines, coaching and teaching experiences, research, international experiences and perhaps most importantly our passion gave us both the unique insights and experience to truly make a difference. And so became the 2050 Sport Project.
Why the 2050 Sports Project? Because we know that change doesn’t occur overnight. By citing the date of 2050, we are committing to meaningful and systemic long-term positive change in youth sport. We hope that you will join us and be part of making sport better for every young athlete.