Meet the Team
About our team . . .
The Coaches
All of our coaches are members of the British Judo Association (BJA). Within the BJA, coaches are qualified under the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) a national standardised qualification used across sporting platforms with the following levels:
UKCC Level 1 (Coach)
UKCC Level 2 (Club Coach)
UKCC Level 3 (Senior Coach)
Our qualified coaches are Enhanced DBS checked, First Aid and Safeguarding trained as minimum qualifications. Many of our coaches have further speciality training, including self-defense, teaching people to fall safely, adaptive judo, gymnastics etc.
Our Assistant Coaches support our qualified coaches with some working towards their first coaching qualifications or revalidating previous qualifications.
The Safeguarding Team
Our safeguarding team are Enhanced DBS checked and qualified in Safeguarding with one of the team also having the role of Welfare Officer.
Competitions Secretary
With experience as a judoka, our competitions secretary, along with the coaches, supports players with their competition aspirations.
Wrekin Star Judo Club Team is run solely by volunteers - each member of the coaching team, the safeguarding team, competitions secretary and committee, give their time because they are passionate about judo and the community it supports.
The Coaches
Gareth Mapp
Level 3 Senior & Head Coach
Gareth is a 5th Dan Black Belt and Level 3 Coach.
He has been involved in judo for over 50 years and first qualified as a Level 2 Coach at the age of 18. Gareth competed at National and International level but his own competitive judo ended at a young age. He then decided he wanted to coach people to enable them to have fun, make lifelong friends and achieve the success of being the best they can possibly be.
As a volunteer throughout, Gareth has coached novices to black belts of all ages and abilities. He also supported the Great Britain Teams in sports science and technical analysis roles at European and World Championships, leading up to the Sydney Olympic Games. Gareth has coached at International tournaments around the world, supporting players to become British, European, World Tour, Commonwealth Games champions and medallists as well as personal coach to Wrekin Star Judo Club's London 2012 Olympian / 2014 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist, Kelly Edwards (MacDonald).
Dave Thomas
Level 3 Senior Coach
WSCIC Vice Chair
Dave is a 3rd Dan black belt and Level 3 Coach.
He has been involved in judo for over 40 years and first qualified as a Level 2 Coach in 1999.
Dave joined Shrewsbury Judo Club while he was at Primary school, later moving to Ford Judo Club. During this time Dave moved up the grades and competed in many competitions at local, national and international level.
Shortly after amalgamating Wrekin Star Judo Club, Dave went to study at Bangor University where he joined the university judo club, assisting with coaching and making lifelong friends at the club.
Dave's passion for judo led to participation in other martial arts where he learnt more about the origins of judo and also gained dan grades.
Dave's judo coaching experience led him to pursue a career in teaching, which in return benefited his coaching. His interest in learning means he's continually evolving his coaching to provide fun and challenging sessions.
Lou Gardner-Thomas
Level 2 Club Coach
WSCIC Company Secretary
Lou is a competitive 1st Dan black belt and Level 2 Coach.
She competed in local, regional and national competitions, was Shropshire County Champion numerous times and National silver medalist.
Lou began coaching at various clubs during her teenage years including summer schools then completed her Level 2 Club Coach award in 1999.
Lou took a break following a car accident, returning in her late twenties to resume competing and gained her 1st Dan black belt. She was invited to join the Midland Area Squad but had to decline due to joining the ambulance service.
Lou's love of competition and training has inspired her to share her knowledge with others and advocate women's judo. Together with fellow coaches Gareth, Dave and Richard Williams, they amalgamated Wrekin Star Judo Club with John Goodwin's judo club in 1999.
Pete Crump
Level 2 Club Coach
Pete is a 2nd Dan black belt and Level 2 Club Coach.
He started judo at the relatively late age of 16 as he was intrigued by the sport and went straight onto the senior mat. He progressed, becoming a good, competitive judo player, competing in many contests over the years at club, regional and national level. Pete achieved his black belt at the age of 25 but was forced to leave the sport due to injury (not judo related).
Pete returned to judo after 26 years following a visit to Wrekin Star Judo Club to watch his son, who had started training, and met his old friend, Gareth Mapp who, as Head Coach, reignited his interest. At that, Pete was hooked again and back on the mat.
Pete re-established his technical 1st Dan grade in 2015 and moved into coaching, which he thoroughly enjoys, sharing his competitive experience in his coaching sessions.
He has spent the last few years taking any opportunity to learn and develop a technical knowledge and skill set in order to coach from beginner through to Dan grade players. He is also qualified to coach and teach players with disabilities in adaptive judo, covering both physical and mental disabilities.
Joe Strafford
Level 2 Club Coach
Joe is a 4th Dan black belt.
Joe started judo in Derbyshire at the age of 10. He worked his way through the junior mon and senior kyu grading system and is now a 4th Dan black belt. Joe achieved his 1st and second Dans through line ups and his third by accumulating points and 4th technical. Joe has been involved with judo for over 30 years and enjoys helping every judo player develop their skill set, increase their confidence and achieve their individual ambitions.
Rob Sabella
Level 3 Senior Coach
Rob is a 2nd Dan black belt.
Rob started judo at 11 yrs old in Rome, he moved to the UK in 1998 and continued at Dartford Judo Club and was selected for the South West Team winning bronze medal in the British National Teams Championships.
Rob joined the Royal Air Force RAF in 2001, winning various RAF Championships at -81Kgs and as part of the RAF Team won various Inter-Service Tournaments vs Royal Navy and Army.
Rob was selected to represent the UK Armed Forces Judo Team in British National Teams (Bronze medal) and competed in various Tours and Tournaments overseas winning gold, silver and bronze at UK ranking events, representing the RAF.
Supported by the RAF, the British Aerospace Systems (BAe Systems) Elite players scheme, and the RAF Sports Association, Rob was afforded the opportunity to train at a semi-professional level at Bath University Judo Centre of Excellence and invited to train with the Welsh National Team.
At Masters/Veterans level, he won gold at the British Championships and bronze at the European Championships (both -81kgs M3).
Whilst competing, he also obtained a Level 3 Coaching award and started Judo Clubs at: RAF Lyneham, RAF Odiham, RAF Lossiemouth, teaching both juniors and seniors. Rob also started judo clubs whilst deployed in the Falklands and Iraq and was selected as RAF Senior Coach for the RAF Judo team. As RAF Judo Team Manager, Rob was responsible for up to 80 members from novices to international players.
Tom Adams
Level 1 Coach
Tom first started Judo in 1995 when he joined a judo club which ran before school at his primary school. Unfortunately when he left primary school, he was unable to continue. Tom found judo again 24 years later when he took his son to classes and was enticed back onto the mat. Tom is now a 1st Kyu (brown belt) working towards his 1st Dan (black belt). He completed his Level 1 Coaching Course as he enjoys helping out and giving something back to the community.
Alex Fowler
Assistant Coach
Alex is a competitive 1st Dan black belt.
He first started judo when he was 8 years old with our head coach Gareth, and has competed in many national competitions but stopped at the age of 14.
After a 21 year break, he returned to the sport in 2015 where he found Gareth was still coaching !!He started back and hasn’t missed a session since !!
He is an assistant coach and loves to help teach the children and help them out with what ever they need, from encouraging nervous new starters, tying belts, helping with techniques to helping them to be more focused and competitive in their Judo.
He is also extremely dedicated to his training in our senior sessions, training at every session
Alex has recently competed at the British Masters Championships and has earned himself a place on the British Masters Squad and is continuing to compete.
Andrea Fani
Assistant Coach
Andrea is a 1st Dan competitive black belt. He is keen on instructing the competitors of the future. Andrea is working towards his Club Coach award.
Dan Mulvey
Assistant Coach
Dan is a 1st Kyu brown belt and been involved with WSJC for 7 years. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with players of all ages. Due to his own disabilities, Dan is in the unique position to understand and support others with disabilities by sharing his experiences in judo.
Tim Westlake
Assistant Coach
Tim is a 1st Dan black belt.
With over 30 years of experience, Tim started Judo at the age of 8 under the instruction of Bob Sutton at the Hafren Judo Club. Tim continued judo through high school competing in local competitions and gradings.
At 18, Tim studied Computer Science at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. At University Tim’s love for Judo continued. In the third year he became the Vice Chairman of the University Judo Club.
Tim later spent many years training at the Alan Jones Judo and Wrestling Club based in Welshpool.
In 2017 Tim and his family moved to Telford. The Wrekin Star Judo Club welcomed him to the club where he has been ever since.
Tim still actively competes, attending gradings and competitions and is currently studying towards his second Dan black belt and level one coaching award.
The Officials
Mandy Crump
Safeguarding & Welfare Officer
Mandy first got involved with Wrekin Star Judo Club when she started taking her son to the junior sessions and was impressed by the family friendly nature of the club.
Gradually she got more and more involved by helping out on the desk then in 2015 was asked if she would consider becoming the Club Welfare Officer (CWO) and has been in the role ever since. As, with all of the coaches, Mandy holds an enhanced DBS and has completed all of the relevant training courses required by the BJA to enable her to perform the role to the best of her ability.
As the Club Welfare Officer, Mandy assists the club to make sure that we provide a safe and positive environment for all to learn judo and develop an ongoing love for the sport. You will often find her behind the desk on at least one of the weekly sessions, welcoming both the established and new members to the club, ensuring she knows them all by name and being the first point of contact to help with any queries, as well as making the odd cup of tea as and when required and just generally getting stuck in with whatever is needed to ensure everyone has a great time.
Claire Moss
Safeguarding Officer
Claire became involved with Wrekin Star Judo Club initially when her daughter, who has a learning disability, joined the club in 2018. Claire was asked to join the committee, and felt that a Safeguarding role was an interesting and vital position which she could commit to and has been supporting the club and its members in this capacity ever since. Claire is usually on duty during a Thursday session.
Rebecca Gill
Competitions Secretary
In 1982 after being on the waiting list for two years, Rebecca was fortunate enough to join GKN Judo Club. It didn’t take long before the sport became a family affair, her dad coached, sister also on the mat and mum on the committee. Every other weekend was a competition or grading. She had the opportunity to represent Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire many times, competed all over the country, trained with the Navy and had opportunities to meet amazing judokas like Densign White, Elvis Gordon & Neil Adams.
Rebecca's greatest achievement was being awarded best Girl's Stylist in the county as at that time girls' judo in the area was at a pretty high level.
Rebecca converted to a senior brown belt at 15 after competing at the Navy camp in Plymouth and then began helping with the younger juniors at her club.
Fast forward some years, she took a step back from judo to raise her children but came back when her younger children were old enough to join. Many of the old clubs by then had closed, including the club she originated from, but WSJC was run by some coaches she'd known for many years and was still going.
Rebecca has been involved in this wonderful sport for over half of her life and hopefully will be involved for many years to come.