A group of coaches from Welsh National Governing Bodies are set to become the first Coach Developers in the UK to be Chartered, and their expertise in ‘coaching coaches’ will soon be made available to other sports in Wales to help coaches create pathway and performance environments which enable young people to thrive.
Thanks to a partnership between Sport Wales and Cardiff Met University, seven coaches from across badminton, equestrian, gymnastics, rugby, tennis and triathlon recently completed a two-year Pathway Coach Developer Programme which will result in them achieving Chartered Coach Developer status – the highest professional recognition in sport and physical activity – from CIMSPA.
Sarah Walters, Sport Wales’ Head of Sport System Strategy, said: “The role of a Coach Developer is an integral element of advancing coaching practices. We all know that delivering great coaching is a skill and is fundamental to how young people experience sport. In order to meet the needs of young people in performance pathways in Wales, our coaching skills, decisions and behaviours need to be finely honed.
“Although the Coach Developers who took part in the programme are specialists in particular sports, their broad skills and knowledge are transferrable to support other sports.
“We want to continue to build a culture of challenge and support to continually improve how coaches are developed in Wales. This collaborative, Coach Developer approach will help to support pathway coaches across all sports to experiment, make changes and develop how they deliver great coaching practice which meet the needs of young people.”
Sarah added: “Conversations are starting to take place with National Governing Bodies regarding the opportunity of offering Coach Developer support from Spring 2025 to coaches who are active within performance pathway environments.
“We’re still exploring exactly how this will work, but it’s an exciting development that we believe will help to further develop the art of coaching in Wales.”
The participants on the Performance Pathway Coach Developer programme are:
- Donal O’Halloran – Badminton Wales
- Elinor Lightbody – Tennis Wales
- Gruff Rees – Cardiff Rugby
- Jo Coombs – Welsh Gymnastics
- Mike Castle – Tennis Wales
- Rich Brady – Welsh Triathlon
- Stephanie Bradley – Equestrian
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