Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2025 in association with Winston & Strawn LLP

Jacqui Oatley MBEPresenter

Jacqui Oatley MBE is an experienced broadcaster on UK television, radio and digital platforms. 19 years after changing career to retrain as a broadcast journalist, Jacqui now presents on ITV - as anchor of their PDC darts coverage - and covers football for Sky Sports, BBC and The Athletic. She became the first female commentator on Match of the Day in 2007.

As a former player and FA qualified coach, Jacqui has presented and commentated on the biggest football tournaments, including men’s and women’s World Cups and Euros, as well as the Olympic Games.

Jacqui is on the national committee of the Football Writers’ Association and is an ambassador for Women in Football - an organisation which champions the role of women in the game.

Annie DavisSession 1 - Safeguarding in Sport: Rethinking Legal Approaches and the Case for Global Standards

Annie Davis - Safeguarding Consultant for World Athletics

Annie qualified as a solicitor with Farrer & Co.  In 2007 she began working in safeguarding using her legal skills to support the safeguarding team at the Rugby Football Union which involved writing policies, procedures, guidance and supporting the case management and DBS officers. She was involved in drafting regulations and was Referral Management Group secretary. 

In 2017 she left to work as a sports safeguarding consultant initially with The FA on a project producing internal protocols and categorising all of their open  cases.  She now regularly sits on The FA Safeguarding Review Panel.

She began working with World Athletics in 2021 creating their safeguarding policy, procedures and rules alongside developing their safeguarding strategy. She worked with UNICEF to create a bespoke World Athletics safeguarding training program available in seven languages. She has been involved with delivering the residential module of the FIFA Guardians course - a great insight into the issues and challenges faced daily by safeguarding professionals around the world.  

In addition to World Athletics, she is currently working with Premiership Rugby Limited developing their safeguarding strategy and with British Rowing’s safeguarding team to develop a new safeguarding policy and procedures.  

In addition, Annie is governor of two secondary schools, one an elite performance school. 

Mark GannonSession 1 - Safeguarding in Sport: Rethinking Legal Approaches and the Case for Global Standards

Mark Gannon – Chief Executive Officer, UK Coaching

As the Chief Executive Officer of UK Coaching, Mark brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the realm of coaching.

With a robust background of senior roles spanning local communities, education and sport, Mark's passion lies in empowering individuals through great coaching.

He is a seasoned professional with qualifications in teaching, coaching and business administration and experience in the Physical Education and Sport sector spanning over three decades.

His own coaching endeavours include a variety of sports including rugby, gymnastics and basketball and he has coached participants and teams at a variety of levels.

Mark's core belief centres around the transformative power of coaching to change the lives of people and communities. He envisions a future where all practitioners in physical activity and sport are adept at delivering exceptional experiences and aiding individuals in reaching their objectives.

For Mark, coaching transcends mere skill development; at its core, he believes coaching is a profound connection with individuals, emphasising the pivotal role of human interaction in the coaching process.

Alexandra RichardsSession 1 - Safeguarding in Sport: Rethinking Legal Approaches and the Case for Global Standards

Alex Richards - Head of Safeguarding, EFL

Alex Richards is the Head of Safeguarding for the English Football League and Independent Board Director for Safeguarding at Northumberland Cricket. With her appointment in 2018 the oversight of the League in respect of safeguarding was significantly accelerated after the non-recent child sexual abuse disclosures. Alex creates the League safeguarding standards and oversees the independent assessment of the EFL Safeguarding standards in all 72 Member Clubs.

Her aim is to create a culture of constant vigilance with an embedded preventative approach that brings policies and procedures to life. Alex and her team work with their Clubs to reduce risk, learn from case reviews and investigations, and drive change at the highest level.

Prior to working with the EFL Alex worked in further education for 15 years as an Assistant Principal with responsibility for welfare and safeguarding. During her time with South Tyneside College, they received an Outstanding grade from Ofsted with reference made to the work done in welfare and safeguarding.

William StewartSession 2 - Is there a link between contact sport and MND?

Prof Stewart is Consultant Neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, and holds honorary Professor status at the University of Glasgow (School of Psychology and Neuroscience) and the University of Pennsylvania (Department of Neurosurgery). He leads an internationally regarded research laboratory engaged in multiple programs investigating the pathologies of acute and long-term survival from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Working with the unique and comprehensive Glasgow TBI Archive, Prof Stewart’s research describes the complex neuropathology of brain injury across a range of exposures and survivals, with particular reference to the link between TBI and neurodegenerative disease.

He also directs the FIELD studies, which aim to describe lifelong health and dementia risk in former soccer players and is Co-PI on the multi-centre collaborative research programs TBI-REPORTER and TRANSFORM-TBI. 

Anna ThorstensonSession 3 - Contamination: Unpacking Athlete Responsibility and Misconceptions

Anna has over 15 years of experience in international sports law, particularly in anti-doping. She has worked both within sports organizations and at a top-ranked Swiss law firm. Since 2016, Anna has been employed at the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) as a legal advisor. Working in an international environment has provided her with extensive experience in the global legal landscape, including knowledge of various jurisdictions, national and international relations related to sport globally, and a profound understanding of the sports law system.

She has worked with a wide range of organizations (including international and national governing sports bodies, public authorities, sports organizers, clubs, sponsors, agents, and individual athletes) on a variety of sports-related issues, including disciplinary processes and disputes, anti-doping, rules and regulations, arbitration proceedings, as well as contractual and regulatory disputes. Anna has appeared as counsel before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and other sports tribunals. Additionally, she has served as a member of the Swedish Equestrian Federation's disciplinary committee and as a member of the Norwegian anti-doping panel for whereabouts reporting. In March 2023, Anna took on a new part-time role when WADA appointed her as an anti-doping ombudsman (a newly established function to support athletes in doping matters).

Nicole Sapstead OBESession 3 - Contamination: Unpacking Athlete Responsibility and Misconceptions

Nicole leads the ITIA’s anti-doping team and the worldwide Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) for players under the ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation, which includes all Grand Slam events. Nicole joined the ITIA in September 2021, after more than a decade at UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), including six years as the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer.

Nicole, who was awarded an OBE for services to sport in 2023, has been an influential figure in the anti-doping industry for over 20 years across a variety of roles, and has had a significant impact in its governance and development; notably she was part of the working group that created an independent National Anti-Doping Organisation (UKAD) in 2009 and played an influential role in the drafting and implementation of the UK National Anti-Doping Policy and associated UK Anti-Doping Rules.