I joined Reigate College after a bit of a twist in my plans. I was originally going to stay at my school’s sixth form, but when an international fencing competition clashed with the first week of term, Reigate was willing to accommodate it, and it was that flexibility that made the difference.

While at College, I initially planned to study Maths at university, but when I visited campuses, it didn’t feel like the right fit. My interest in both Maths and Product Design then led me to apply for Architecture, but then I questioned my artistic skills. Instead, I took a gap year to train full-time as an elite athlete with British Fencing and eventually settled on studying Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bath.

I do feel that it was a missed opportunity not taking advantage of the placement year whilst on my course. These can help you gain the competitive edge when it comes to applying for jobs after graduation. However, I did switch to an integrated Master’s part way through, which gave me a deeper academic foundation as well as helping me stand out from the crowd.

With my coaching background and experience as an elite athlete, I always thought my career would lie in performance sport, however, I discovered the world of community sport. Being able to help more people through sport ignited something witing me and I’ve built my career around this.

On graduating, I started out with the Better leisure centre chain, supporting nine centres across Lambeth. My focus was on helping underrepresented groups access sport, and within two years I was promoted to oversee three West London boroughs. I worked closely with local councils, Sport England, London Sport and national governing bodies: it was a brilliant way to make a real impact.

Alongside that, I was also Performance Manager for Welsh Fencing at the Commonwealth Games. I’d retired from competing by then, after needing hand surgery, but I’d had a long career in the sport — two Commonwealth medals, the British national title, and five Welsh Championship wins. Oddly enough, I never actually enjoyed fencing: I loved the winning, the leadership opportunities and the sense of belonging it gave me, but the sport wasn’t something I was passionate about — I just happened to be better at it than other sports.

Retiring was tough at first. Having spent 12 years training, sparring and competing each and every week, losing that structure was a challenge. But I did adjust and during Covid I finally had experimental surgery to fix my hand. It worked and I’ve had full function since, which has been fantastic.

Another great opportunity came knocking when I spotted a job at the University of Surrey that a connection on LinkedIn had shared. This brought together my love of community sport with university sporting life.

It was at Surrey that I got an additional 4,500 people engaged in physical activity each year. By the end of my time there I was leading a team of 100 – invaluable experience – and had 70% of the university student population engaged in sport and physical activity, which I consider a huge achievement. I’m really proud of the strategy and planning legacy that I left when I moved on.

I didn’t want to leave Surrey, but when the opportunity to become a Head of Sport – at City St George’s, University of London – presented itself, I had to pursue it for my own professional development. My current projects focus on the expanding sport facility offering for students, demonstrating the impact of an active lifestyle on student educational outcomes, and implementing digital solutions to maximise engagement across all our campuses.

I’m also really enjoying being part of an International Olympic Committee working group of just 25 people globally see how the intersection of sport and technology can deliver against United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

My guiding philosophy is that we all have the capacity to improve – whether it’s a simple goal around just moving more or shooting for an Olympic Gold. We can always be better and by jumping at opportunities that come our way we can achieve great things.

Tom Edwards
Reigate College: 2010-2012
Highest education: MSc Sport & Exercise Science, University of Bath
Currently: Head of Sport and Leisure, City St George’s, University of London