Frequently Asked Questions

Elite Performance Partners (EPP) is a global sports recruitment, executive advisory and leadership development firm. Founded in 2013, we work with elite teams, national federations and governing bodies to advise, recruit and develop senior leaders and their teams around the world. We are headquartered in Bath, UK, with a presence in Melbourne, Australia.

EPP offers three core services: Executive Advisory, where we work alongside directors, executives and ownership groups to shape structures, strategy and culture; Search and Selection, where we identify and place high-impact talent from Head Coach to CEO; and Leadership Development, where we coach individuals and teams to grow into high-performance leaders through programmes ranging from one-to-one coaching to large-scale learning initiatives.

We work with elite sports organisations of all kinds, including professional clubs, national governing bodies, Olympic and Paralympic federations, and commercial organisations in the sports sector. Our clients have included Liverpool FC, The FA, USSF, World Rugby, the WRU, San Diego FC, Right to Dream Group, Brentford FC, Bath Rugby, Chelsea FC, Warwickshire CCC, the ECB, Aberdeen FC, the SFA, British Wheelchair Basketball, and the UK Sports Institute.

EPP was born from sport and sits at the intersection between performance and leadership. Our team combines executive coaches, former professional athletes and applied organisational practitioners, giving us a unique blend of performance insight, academic rigour and real-world experience. Our approach is personal, our insight is unique, and our access to elite sport is deep and hard-won. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients rather than at arm's length.

EPP serves as permanent tutors on the FA's Technical Director course, guest lecturers on the LMA Diploma of Football Management and delivers High Performance Workshops for the MLS as part of their Pro-to-Pro work. We also designed and deliver Rugby's Impact Beyond: Careers programme global Women in Rugby Careers programme as their resident experts, reaching 250 women across 91 countries, simultaneously translated into four languages. We are also faculty on Focus Sport Education's Advanced Certificate in Sporting Directorship, MiniMBA and First 100 Days courses.

Our search and selection process is built around your specific culture, values and long-term goals — not just filling a vacancy. We apply performance sport thinking across all departments, from coaching and performance to medical, commercial, operations and executive leadership. Our criteria-based approach ensures every placement is aligned with the organisation's vision.

EPP's criteria-based approach means that every search and selection engagement begins by defining precisely what success looks like in a given role — not just the job description, but the values, behaviours, leadership style and cultural fit required. This framework is then used to assess all candidates objectively, reducing the risk of bias and ensuring that placements are aligned with the organisation's long-term vision rather than short-term availability. This approach was instrumental in identifying Emma Hayes as the right fit for the USWNT head coach role.

We led the search that secured Emma Hayes as Head Coach of the US Women's National Team for the USSF. The team won Olympic Gold just 17 weeks later. We also delivered a four-year collaboration with Right to Dream Group across five locations in the USA, Europe and Africa, and partnered with Liverpool FC to codify their performance methodology and values during a period of leadership transition.

EPP was founded on the belief that there is a contradiction at the heart of high-performance sport: organisations that accept nothing less than excellence on the field are often surprisingly comfortable with mediocrity off it. EPP exists to close that gap — between ambition and execution — because to win on the field, you must be built to win off it.

Elite Performance Partners was founded in 2013 and incorporated as EP Partners Ltd (company number 08788282). The firm is co-owned by Anna Edwards — the only female co-owner of a sports performance and recruitment consultancy in the United Kingdom — and David Slemen, a former professional rugby player. The team brings together executive coaches, former professional athletes and applied organisational practitioners.

EPP delivered a four-year collaboration with Right to Dream Group spanning five locations across academies and professional clubs in the USA, Europe and Africa. This engagement covered executive advisory, leadership development and people strategy across the organisation's global operations and saw EPP help build out MLS-expansion team San Diego FC from scratch.

EPP acted as San Diego FC's strategic partner across all elements of their people planning and recruitment, functioning as what the club describes as their "Strategic Quarterbacks." The work covered sharp strategy, cultural clarity and elite recruitment — delivering whole-club high performance from the top of the organisation to the ground level.

EPP has worked with Warwickshire County Cricket Club, supporting culture, coaching and targeted recruitment to help transform performance from the ground up. EPP has also worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), including hiring their women’s senior team Head Coach, and has delivered leadership development programmes for county cricket organisations.

Yes. EPP operates globally, with offices in Bath, UK and Melbourne, Australia. We have delivered work across the USA, Europe, Africa, and Australia, and work with clients spanning international governing bodies, Olympic federations, and professional leagues worldwide.

EPP's Melbourne office, located at 11 Wilson Street, South Yarra, VIC 3141, supports the firm's work across Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. It complements the firm's UK headquarters in Bath and enables EPP to service clients and conduct searches across international time zones without compromising the personal, relationship-driven approach the firm is known for.

Individuals seeking to be considered for roles placed by EPP can register their interest via the apply page at eppglobal.com/apply. EPP maintains a network of high-calibre candidates across coaching, performance, medical, commercial and executive leadership disciplines, and proactively approaches suitable candidates when relevant opportunities arise.

You can contact EPP via the contact form at eppglobal.com/contact. We're not for everyone. But if you think we might be for you, get in touch and one of our team will get straight back to you.