The 2020-21 season to date has seen considerable progress in the coach development space. In the midst of the winter months, while the majority of our community was focused on their respective winter codes, a group of 24 coaches went beyond their comfort zones and embarked on the Development and Level 2 coaching courses. These multi day courses provide participants with the opportunity to learn from highly regarded local coaches and players including Hamish Bennett, Jess McFadyen and Lance Dry.
Hutt District Cricket Club Premier Women’s coach Ben Skilton highlighted the progress he has made as a coach after attending the course.
“The opportunity to learn from and engage with a wide range of coaches has opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on coaching,” he said.
“This has allowed me to better support the players I am coaching.”
Leading into the season Cricket Wellington ran a series of coach development session for our Yeah Girls! and Community Cricket Ambassadors. These activators are highly visible in our community and they play a vital role inspiring the next generation of cricketer. Activators were introduced to a series theoretical models while also being put on the spot and forced to deliver sessions in a variety of challenging circumstances – equipping these activators with the tools to succeed is of the upmost importance. The Wellington community now have a pool of 20 activators championing the game of cricket in our community. Special thanks must go to Sport Wellington and New Zealand Cricket for their ongoing support in this field.
As players and teams across the Wellington region were confirmed our clubs begun the process of ensuring all junior and youth coaches were registered on Friendly Manager, New Zealand Cricket’s national coaching database. At last glance there were 450 unique coach registrations, with 430 coaches having completed the Welfare of Children and Vulnerable Adults modules, and 380 coaches having been police vetted. Club volunteers must be acknowledged for their tireless and often under appreciated work in this space – you play a fundamental role in keeping participants and we cannot thank you enough for your contributions.
A highlight of the 2020-21 season has been the eagerness of club coaches to attend coaching courses and expand their knowledge, ultimately putting the experience of the participant at the heart of their coaching. Cricket Wellington have delivered 15 courses with over 220 coaches in attendance, a record number in recent seasons – eight of these courses were ran specifically for clubs with a combined Wellington Collegians and Onslow course having 32 attendees. Another highlight was the addition of three specialist clinics based on batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket keeping.
Cricket Wellington’s community manager for coaching Matt Wills applauded coaches for engaging in further learning.
“It’s great to see coaches going above and beyond, ultimately the players will be the ones who benefit.”
The highly successful coach mentoring programme was expanded for the 2020-21 season with all Wellington clubs and coaches offered the opportunity to receive support from a Community Cricket Ambassador. The purpose of this offering is to upskill coaches and provide them with tricks and tools to pass onto their players – the programme isn’t designed for players to be coached directly. Over the first half of the season seven clubs and over 25 coaches received support from a Community Cricket Ambassador. It is Cricket Wellington’s aspiration to continue expanding this offering and we’re looking forward to working closely with clubs and coaches.
Article added: Tuesday 09 February 2021
