Our Coaches
Grace Brennan
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach in Sprints
Grace coaches at the AAAC/ASV recreational sessions. She competes and trains in polevault, hurdles and sprinting. She won Silver at the U20 Scottish Championships in polevault in 2022. She is the current ladies polevault record holder for AAAC.
Joshua Carroll
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach in Sprints
Joshua coaches at the AAAC/ASV recreational sessions. He competes and trains as a sprinter in the club.
Gary Collins
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach in Throws
Gary helps lead the children’s training sessions at the club. He is also a coach with Peterhead AC. A retired fireman, Gary was an athlete with Peterhead AC in his youth. His athletics idols include Daley Thompson, Brendan Foster, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Zoey Clark.
Nichola Crawford
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach
AAAC Development Level 3
Nichola coaches a senior group of endurance athletes within the club. In 2021 Nichola was awarded the Scottish Athletics Community Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Community/Participation Coach of the Year at the 2022 Aberdeen Sports Awards.
Fiona Davidson
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach – Jumps
Fiona works alongside Bob Masson and Mark Davidson. She has been involved in athletics most of her life, starting out in the 100m to 400m distances before focussing on long jump and triple jump. In her youth she represented Scotland in Turkey in 1994 and has won many Scottish and British titles.
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In 2015 she won the World Masters triple jump in the V40 age group and won silver in the triple jump and bronze in the long jump at the European Masters Indoor Championships. She was Aberdeen’s Veteran Sports Achiever of the Year in 2017 and was shortlisted for the 2019 Team Scotland Volunteer of the Year.
Jane Davidson
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach – Sprints & Hurdles
A previous gymnast, Jane has been an athlete with Aberdeen AAC since she was 9 years old and holds the club record for the 60m hurdles, 60m sprint and the long jump. She is also one of the four athletes who hold the club women’s record for the 4 x 200m relay. She has a personal best of 12.46 seconds for the 100m and 5.65m for the long jump.
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When she started with the club, she tried all athletics events. She liked combined events (pentathlon) and competing in sprinting, hurdles, long jump, high jump and the shot put on the same day.
She says “as a youngster I was probably one of the littlest girls on the start line, but what I lacked in height I had in enthusiasm. I loved competing for the club and at national championships. It wasn’t until I was U15 (under 15 age group) that I won my first Scottish championship medal. By U17 I was winning championship medals in hurdles, long jump and heptathlon (7 events)”.
Jane was Scottish Senior 60m hurdles Indoor Champion in 2019. In 2020 she was Scottish U20 60m and 60m hurdles Indoor Champion. In 2020 she was invited to compete at the British Senior Championships for the first time. More recently, Jane was Scottish Senior 100m hurdles and 100m champion in 2023.
She has represented Scotland at the SIAB Schools International and the Celtic Games.
One of the high-performance athletes in the club, she has been in the Aberdeen AAC Academy since its inception in 2016. She is currently a student at the University of Aberdeen studying a Bachelor’s degree in Sports & Exercise and Science.
Mark Davidson
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
Mark co-coaches a training group of multi event athletes at the club. He has been with the club since 1978 and is currently Club President. He was part of the Scotland Team at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland where he competed in the 400m hurdles, the 4 x 100m relay and the 4 x 400m relay, where the team won a silver medal. He was also a selection for GB U23 teams and the GB team for the 1991 World Student Games in Sheffield. In 2017, Mark won Scottish Athletics Volunteer of the Year.
Robert Dickson
Coaching Qualification: Level 2 Performance Coach
AAAC Development Level 2
AAAC Development Level 1
Bob joined the club when his daughter joined in the late 1990s. He coaches distance runners at the club who participate in Parkrun events, road races–5k to marathon distances–and hill races. Bob is a keen marathoner, having completed both the Baxters Loch Ness and Virgin London marathons.
Catriona Fulton
Coaching Qualification: Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF)
Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF)
Catriona leads the JogScotland group at the club with Charlie McHardy. She also leads and coaches at a JogScotland group based in Kingswells. Catriona is a relative newcomer to running, having only taken up the sport in 2018 after joining a JogScotland group to undertake a couch to 5k programme, but quickly found a love of running, especially in the hills and on the trails, and has recently started participating in ultramarathons.
Frank Gauld
Coaching Qualification: UKA Level 3 Event Group (Sprints and Hurdles)
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
AAAC Development Level 1
Frank coaches sprints and hurdles to beginner and development age athletes through to senior national standard. He holds and has held many club records in 200m, 300m, 400m, both indoors and outdoors, and in 2000 was the Scottish Masters M45 400m champion. He coached a sprint hurdler to the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011 and has coached many athletes to national medals and international level. In 2017, Frank was shortlisted for Scottish Athletics Coach of the Year and in 2020 he won Aberdeenshire Coach of the Year.
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Frank is a past Aberdeen AAC Vice President, was an Ordinary Committee member for many years and is presently an Honorary Member.
His ambitions include developing hard-working, technically proficient, committed sprinters and hurdlers who have the potential, determination, confidence, motivation and capability of competing successfully at national and international level. He is also committed to continuing to learn and develop as a coach through self-reflection and taking external advice to assist with improving any areas of weakness.
Sporting Icons : Athletes David Bedford, Seb Coe, Sally Pearson, Jess Ennis-Hill, Paula Radcliffe, Liz McGolgan
Personal Advice/ Tip: I believe that athletics at all levels should be enjoyable to all participants. I see my job as coach to help athletes achieve their ambitions but the drive to succeed must come from within the athletes themselves.
It doesn’t matter how ‘talented’ an athlete is, they must also have an in-built desire to continue to listen to advice, to learn their sport, have a thirst for hard work, the drive to be the very best they can be and the courage to carry it out.
Athletes develop at different rates so early ‘success’ is no guarantee of high achievement at a later stage just as a lack of success early on can be no clear indicator of success potential in later years.
Eddie Graham
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach (Sprints & Hurdles)
AAAC Development Level 2
Eddie also completed the Foundation Course that predated the Athlete Preparation courses in 2015
Eddie is a former Kilbarchan Athletics athlete and was lead off in their Scottish 4 x 400m Under 15 Boys Scottish Championship Team in 1980. He’s been volunteering, coaching at Ellon AAC since 2008 and has held various roles at the club, including Chair, Secretary and Coaching Coordinator. He is excited about the opportunity to expand his coaching experience at Aberdeen AAC and is looking forward to helping broaden the outreach of athletics coaching in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
David Grant
Coaching Qualification: Level 2 Jumps, Hurdles and Sprints Coach
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
David started his athletics career as a volunteer helper in his local club and then went on to do his coaching assistant qualification followed by his athletics coach qualification, specialising in jumps (high, long and triple jump). He coaches some top elite athletes in jumps, coaches jumps at Banff and ASV and works alongside Frank Gauld at ASV on a Saturday morning.
Liz Hewitson
Coaching Qualification: Event Group Coach – Jumps
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
AAAC Development Level 1
Liz coaches a number of different age groups at the club, from 12 years old to masters. A number are Scottish Age Group champions and have represented Scotland at school and university level. She coaches all the jumps, plus Combined Events.
Ji Hong Xue
Coaching Qualification: UKA Coaching Assistant
Ji coaches at the AAAC/ASV recreational athletics sessions and at the Northfield satellite.
Kene Ileagu
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach – Sprints
Kene coaches at the AAAC/ASV community sessions and at the club children’s 5.30pm sessions. He trains and competes as a sprinter at the club.
James Joy
Coaching Qualification: AAAC Development Level 1 & 2 Endurance
James coaches two endurance groups at the club, alongside Romana McGuire. He has various achievements in middle distance track and cross country, including medals at Scottish Schools and Scottish National Championships; Scottish representation at the British Schools International 2008; Scottish U23 800m Champion 2010. In 2014 James was shortlisted for Scottish Athletics Children’s Coach of the Year.
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Ambitions: As an individual athlete he plans to break the AAAC 800m record. As a coach, he tries to help others gain as much as they can from the sport and do what he can to help facilitate that opportunity.
Sporting Icons: Mo Farah, Seb Coe, Bradley Wiggins, Kelly Holmes, all the classic Brits.
Personal Advice: Stick at it! It takes a lot of time and practice to get it right, just don’t give it up when the potential’s still there.
Coby Keith
Coaching Qualification: UKA Coaching Assistant
Coby coaches at the AAAC/ASV community sessions, the club para sessions and the children’s 5.30pm sessions at the club. He is a sprinter and regularly competes.
Paul Kelly
Coaching Qualification: Event Group Endurance
Paul is one of the Lead coaches at the children’s recreational athletics sessions at the Inverurie satellite. He also coaches for Active Schools Aberdeenshire. Paul is a keen distance runner, running most days.
Kenny Lyon
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach & Pole Vault
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
AAAC Development Level 1
Kenny coaches Combined Event athletes at the club. He joined the club in 1973, starting as a cross country runner before taking up combined events. He competes in Decathlon, long jump and triple jump at Masters level at Scottish, British and World Championships and holds a number of club Veteran records.
Eoghan MacNamara
Coaching Qualification: Event Group – Sprints & Hurdles
AAAC Development Level 3
Eoghan takes a sprints group for the club. He was president of Aberdeen University Athletic Club and regularly competed for them in distance running. He represented Scottish Universities in the 800m in 2016.
Kathleen Madigan
Coaching Qualification: Event Group – Sprints & Hurdles, Throws, Jumps
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
AAAC Development Level 1
Kathleen coaches shot put, javelin, discus, hammer and sprinting at the club. She joined the club as a 9 year old, after her dad spotted she was a promising sprinter.
Trevor Madigan
Coaching Qualification: Level 2 Sprints and Hurdles Coach
AAAC Development Level 3
Trevor has been involved with AAAC since his daughter took up athletics over 30 years ago and has held many roles at the club including Club President. His training group consists of athletes specialising in short and long sprints. In 2014 Trevor was awarded the Sportscotland Grampian Performance Coach of the Year as well as the 2014 Disability Coach of the Year due to his work with disabled athletes, including Lewis Clow, a category T37 sprinter who competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
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Trevor regularly competes in the Scottish and British Masters Track and Field Championships, and has been British High Jump champion for his age group. He headed both High Jump and Long Jump in the British rankings in his age group for 2016.
Finlay Marchant
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach – Sprints & Hurdles
Finlay coaches at the 5.30pm children’s sessions at the club and also works alongside Eddie Graham coaching sprints.
Bob Masson
Coaching Qualification: Level 3 Performance Coach; Level 3 Long Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Discus
AAAC Development Level 3
AAAC Development Level 2
Bob coaches several Combined Event athletes in the club and was the coach of club members Duncan Mathieson and Mark Davidson who represented Scotland in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Duncan was selected for the decathlon and Mark the 400m hurdles. They both ran in the 4 x 400m relay, Duncan in the heats and Mark in the final, setting a Scottish record that stood for 24 years. He occasionally advises Fiona Davidson, World Masters Champion in triple jump in 2015.
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Bob has been with the club over 50 years joining around 1972, the first year the Scottish League started. He competed for the club in the Men’s League every year from 1972 until 2016 and has competed in every athletic event that is on an Olympic Men’s Programme, except walks.
He still competes and holds many of the club veteran records for throwing events and pole vault. He has been ranked No.1 in Britain for his age in pole vault on several occasions and won the decathlon for his age group at the British Masters in 2007. Bob was on the Committee for 40 years and was club Vice President. In 2021 he received Scottish Athletics Lifetime Honorary Membership.
Barry McAllister
Coaching Qualification: Assistant Coach
Barry works alongside Nichola Crawford coaching a Level 3 endurance group.
Alison McGee
Coaching Qualification: Assistant Coach
Alison works alongside Bob Masson and Mark Davidson. She got into athletics due to her daughter, Ellie, and is also an official, working her way up the qualifications. She tries to stay active due to a spinal injury in 2016 which made her take up running, and in 2022 Alison won Scottish Athletics Official of the Year.
Romana McGuire
Coaching Qualification: UKA Coaching Assistant
AAAC Development Level 1 Endurance
Romana takes the training for the youngest endurance group at the club. She joined the club coaching team when her children started at the club.
Charlie McHardy
Coaching Qualification: Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF)
Charlie leads the Jog Scotland group at the club with Catriona Fulton. He is an ultra runner, having completed many ultra events. He finished 10th in the 2022 Deeside 33 in 4.06.50 and 4th in the 2022 50K Self Transcendence race. In April 2022, he was ranked 5th in the UK for the 50K and in June 2022 he won the inaugural Saltire 24 race, covering a distance of 113 miles in a little over 21 hours.
Katrina McKay
Coaching Qualification: UKA Coaching Assistant
After several years volunteering as boys team manager, Katrina recently joined the club coaching team. Inspired by her three boys she took up running in 2021 when she joined the club Jog Scotland group and now trains with Bob Dixon. Alongside James, Romana and Nichola, she assists with the endurance training groups.
Hannah Mutch
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach
Hannah is an endurance athlete at the club and has been first female at the Aberdeen Beach Parkrun over 40 times. She coaches at the club children’s 5.30pm sessions. Hannah is also an accomplished bagpipe player.
Barbara-Anne Needs
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach (speed) & Event Group Endurance
Barbara-Anne coaches at the club children’s 5.30pm sessions. She is also a lead coach at Peterhead AC and an Active Schools volunteer. In her spare time she enjoys various outdoor activities, including running, particularly half marathon/marathon distances.
Phil Owens
Coaching Qualification: Event Group Endurance Coach
Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF)
Phil started running middle distance and XC with Shettleston Harriers during his school years and developed a love for all things running that covers the full spectrum from sprints to ultra distance.
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His initial coaching role with Ellon Athletics was, like many, as a parent helper and then with Garioch Roadrunners, where the merging of social group running is blended with coaching geared towards fitness and performance development.
Phil co-coaches with Ruth Watson, with a key focus on endurance; motivated as a coach to assist others develop, progress and reach their running goals. He also coaches para athletes at the club in wheelchair racing and frame running. Phil is also an active official.
Rhys Park
Coaching Qualification: Coaching Assistant
Rhys helps at the AAAC/ASV sessions having previously helped at Northfield satellite. His first sport is basketball and he is currently a Sports and Exercise student. He coaches with Sport Aberdeen and Streetsport also.
Catriona Pennet
Coaching Qualification: Level 1 Assistant Coach
Catriona assists Frank Gauld to deliver sprints and hurdles sessions. She represented GB in the 2019 world masters indoors championships, winning a silver medal in the 60m hurdles and subsequently won the Aberdeen Sports Award for Masters Sports Achiever of the Year.
Rachel Watson
Coaching Qualification: Athletics Coach
Rachel is one of the coaches leading the club 5:30pm children’s athletics sessions. She has competed for the East of Scotland in cross country events and won a medal at the Scottish Schools Track and Field Championships in steeplechase. She was shortlisted for Scottish Athletics Club Coach of the Year in 2020 along with Ruth Watson. In 2022, Rachel was named Community/Participation Coach of the Year at Aberdeen’s Sports Awards.
Ruth Watson
Coaching Qualification: Event Group Sprints & Hurdles
Level 2 Endurance
AAAC Development Level 1
Ruth coaches athletes in short sprints, long sprints and endurance, young teenagers, new to the sport, wheelchair racing, and Frame Running sessions at the club. She is also lead coach at the coach at Westhill, Inverurie, Inchgarth and Northfield satellites.
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Ruth has been involved in athletics since 2000, starting as a parent volunteer then coach at Haddington Running Club and Team East Lothian. She moved to AAAC in 2015. Ruth competed in 100m and shot put and has won several Scottish Masters Championships for her age group.
In 2020, Ruth was shortlisted for Scottish Athletics Club Coach of the Year along with Rachel Watson. In 2022 Ruth won Scottish Disability Sport Development Coach of the Year as well as Scottish Women in Sport Volunteer of the Year.
Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club 