Paul Coates is Senior Sports Development Officer at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) and is playing a central role in its drive to deliver an Olympic legacy beyond the London 2012 Games.

Paul has 15 years experience in the sports development industry specialising in how sport can be used to address wider social issues and have a positive impact on communities.

Considered something of a sports legacy guru, Paul is working closely with sports National Governing Bodies and other partner organisations to make sure diverse abilities and communities can benefit from the four London 2012 venues the Authority will run after the Games.

Paul is playing a leading role in devising and implementing the sports and legacy plans for all four of the Authority’s London 2012 venues: Lee Valley White Water Centre, the only brand new London 2012 to open before the Games, Lee Valley VeloPark, Lee Valley Tennis Centre and Lee Valley Hockey Centre.

He chairs the Six Host Borough Cycling and Hockey Groups through which LVRPA’s legacy work is well underway. BMX tracks have already been established in four of the six host boroughs, helping to generate interest in the sport and create a new pool of athletes. It is envisaged that many of these riders will eventually graduate to competing at the more challenging BMX track at Lee Valley VeloPark once it opens in late 2013.

A keen amateur footballer, Paul is also a level 2 football coach who can lay claim to a fine sporting pedigree. He is the son of the late England and Tottenham Hotspur legend Ralph.

Paul has worked in sports development in various parts of London and Hertfordshire, giving him incisive knowledge and experience of what it takes to a deliver a sustainable and enduring sports legacy.