Coaches Academy Launch Sept 2016 1

Year Two Of Coaches Academy Launched

NEW met old for the first time at the launch of Year Two of the Suffolk FA Coaches Academy.

The Academy launched for the first time last season, offering 20 coaches a bespoke, unique and exclusive education programme.

Those coaches were joined by new scholars at an introductory evening at Walsham-le-Willows FC on Thursday.

Suffolk FA Senior Football Development Officer Michael Cornall, who heads up the programme, welcomed everyone and outlined the aims of the Coaches Academy.

Nathan French, Suffolk FA Football Development Manager, then spoke about the overall vision of the Coaches Academy and how this falls in line with the Suffolk FA Development Strategy.

The coaches were then split into pairs to plan for two 20-minute sessions – one from Year One and one from Year Two – from a list of possible topics.

These sessions were then led by Suffolk FA Girls & Women’s Officer Paige Shorten and delivered by two groups on the club’s 3G Football Turf Pitch across the road from the ground, before everyone returned indoors for a feedback session.

Michael Cornall then discussed how the mentoring programme would work in Year Two, and assigned mentors with mentees.

He said afterwards: “It was a great opening to the Suffolk FA Coaches Academy for the 2016-17 season.

“It was fantastic to see so many coaches networking, building a rapport and supporting each other.

“Across the course of the season the coaches will have the opportunity to attend multiple events designed to develop and enhance their coaching.

“I look forward to working with them all in the coming months.”

Among the 41 coaches on the programme is former Whitton United and Hadleigh United Manager Ian Brown, who is entering his second year as a scholar.

He said: “For me this hits the nail on the head in that coaching can be very lonely.

“It is nice to come here and meet like-minded people who want to develop and improve and challenge you as well.

“I was not able to get to all the sessions last season because of managing, but it is nice to speak to people who are thinking the same and share ideas and experiences.

“I found it an eye-opener last season because you hear of other people’s successes and struggles as well which is what coaching is all about.

“You have also got people involved from all walks of life and at all levels of the grassroots game.”

Andre Wright, who was also on the programme last season, said: “I certainly improved as a coach as a result of my involvement in the Coaches Academy last season.

“I really enjoyed the player analysis we did at AFC Sudbury, when we were watching one player rather than the game as a whole.

“It is also good for the team you coach to have other coaches come along and deliver a session – you can still pick up things from a Level 1 coach.”

The 44-year-old, who is a Youth coach with Salvation Army and Walsham-le-Willows, said he was looking forward to mentoring Kwai Chau Ip and Andy Crocker, one of the first-year intake, this season.

He added: “The Coaches Academy is about getting people talking and networking with each other and then being confident to get their message across.

“I am really looking forward to this year and seeing what it brings.”

First-year scholar Tim Gleave, who coaches Bury Town Under-8s, was Assistant Manager at Newmarket Town a few years ago.

He said: “Although I am a Level 2 coach I want to learn more about specific things so that I can develop programmes for training, rather than just deliver ad hoc sessions.

“Tonight has been really good. I joined in the session and enjoyed that, although I shied away from actually taking a session myself at the moment.

“However, it was really good to talk that through with my mentor Toby (Cunningham) and I feel having met him that he is someone who I can speak to for help.”

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