The role of the coach has been on my mind over recent weeks. Actually not just the role of the coach but the position of the coach too. It’s great when things go well but when they don’t that position can feel very isolating and lonely. Over the last week or so I took a call from an experienced colleague in the sector who asked me whether I could spare the time to talk to a (successful) High Performance Coach who isn’t in a good place, either in work or in his head. Neither my colleague nor the coach knew who else to turn to.
This is not a regular occurrence, but sadly it has happened too many times over the last 12 months and I find the lack of awareness of the great services that UK Coaching offer hugely disappointing. I encourage you to take some time to see what they offer.
Join the UK Coaching Club – UK Coaching
When I had the privilege of being the CEO of the British Athletes Commission over the period of my tenure there was an increasing awareness that the BAC was there for them to offer advice, support and guidance (and still is – check out their website Homepage – British Elite Athletes Association ). I was always conscious of the fact that the majority of the coaches who were involved in these disputes didn’t feel they have the same support. I have therefore very much enjoyed the work I have done through DOCIAsport over the last couple of years on developing services for coaches and in this particular case, I knew straight away that whilst I could help the coach who’s struggling mentally, I could refer him to UK Coaching too who I know are now handling the case. Please spread the word that UK Coaching is ‘here for the coach’ as their strapline suggests.
UK Coaching also represents the coaching community in another way, looking at recognising and celebrating #greatcoaching through the annual UK Coaching Awards Our Awards – UK Coaching
I have had the privilege of being asked to sit on the judging panel for the last few years which I love because I get to see the breadth of great coaching taking place from World Championships through to the equally invaluable work taking place at grassroots, often with minority groups and in areas of deprivation. I write this now because the nomination process is about to close at 10 am on Monday 4th September. If you know of anyone who you believe is worthy of recognition, PLEASE put their name forward.
At last year’s award ceremony the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ went to the athletics coach Aston Moore MBE a worthy winner then and worthy of recognition now. As I write this the World Athletics Championships are taking place in Budapest and the GB team has a gold medal through the efforts of Katherina Johnson-Thompson (KJT) in the heptathlon. Her medal is not just for her performance in the stadium but for overcoming the unseen hard journey she has had to overcome to get to the podium. KJT has taken herself abroad to rebuild her career after injury and ‘poor’ performances but returned to these shores to train to be coached by (you guessed it) Aston Moore who has ‘rebuilt her mind and body’ to the extent that the 800m last night the last event over 2 gruelling days was ‘the easiest race I have had as an athlete’. All credit to KJT. But credit too to Aston Moore who has consistently demonstrated the power of #greatcoaching and done so for KJT just one year out from the Paris Games in 2024. Who do you know who could join Aston as a recipient of a UK Coaching Award? Please help showcase their talent and hopefully inspire others.
As I was posting this I saw an article in the sports section that pretty much supports everything I have just discussed. Great to see a coach being celebrated in the national media.
