CFC Goalkeeper Receives True Athlete Scholarship

  • Saturday, January 23, 2021

Alec Redington, Chattanooga FC’s first team goalkeeper, has been accepted onto The True Athlete Project’s Global Athlete Mentoring Programme.

The programme pairs Olympic, Paralympic and other elite senior athletes with aspiring juniors in a nurturing, year-long relationship. Together, mentor and mentee journey through TAP’s holistic curriculum, exploring themes like nature and connectedness, mindfulness, athlete identity, and more!

Programme director, and two-time British Olympic fencer, Laurence Halsted adds: “The aim of the programme is to support the person behind the athlete, giving them someone to talk to about any challenges they might be facing - in sport or in life.
Conveniently, when a person flourishes, so too does their performance!”

Alec has received a scholarship to the programme, thanks to funding from Chattanooga Football Club.

Peter Fuller, Head Coach for Chattanooga FC says “I am very excited about Alec’s involvement in this project. For young, aspiring professional athletes, having the opportunity to work with seasoned athletes, particularly ones who have overcome great challenges, is an invaluable experience. This project is very much in line with what we have always been about as a club and organization — working with others who share our vision of improving our local and global communities. I look forward to seeing Alec’s growth throughout this process.”

Alec says, “For me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’m very excited for. Talan is a great guy and I’m really excited to get to know him throughout this year as well as learn from him. This is just the beginning and I’m ready to take it to the next level.”

Alec Redington is a 21 year old goalkeeper from Kirkwood, Missouri, who began his journey as a professional athlete playing for Chattanooga FC during their inaugural professional season in 2020. During this time, he started in 11 of 14 matches, maintaining a clean sheet in 4 of those. His impressive rookie performance has cemented him as one of NISA’s most formidable goalkeepers despite his young age.

He has been paired with Talan Skeels-Piggins, a British athlete with an extraordinary life in sport. Skeels-Piggins is a former Royal Navy fighter controller and PE teacher. He was paralysed from the chest down following a motorcycle accident in 2003, and after his accident he started skiing, with the goal of competing at the Paralympics sit-ski event. He made it to the 2010 Paralympics competing for Great Britain in the men's slalom, giant slalom and Super-G. Talan then founded 'The Bike Experience', a charity established to help motorcycle riders who are now paraplegic to ride again. He became the first paraplegic in the history of motor-racing to compete against able bodied racers in solo motorcycles and became 600cc World Champion 600cc (Paralysed category) in 2015.

“I am honoured to be a Mentor for The True Athlete Project and to be working with Alec Redington. My focus is enabling Alec to reach his full potential, whatever that level might be. I have experienced the highs (and lows) of elite performance, and hope that sharing the knowledge gained will allow Alec to enjoy success. The year ahead will be extremely exciting and a great opportunity for growth, for both of us.”

Alec and Talan are part of a diverse cohort of 68 athletes across 33 sports and 10 countries.
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