 |
BRSF Coaching Directors Report 2008
Presented at the 2009 Annual General Meeting |
|
May I open my report by thanking David Nicholls for the considerable support he has provided for
me whilst I was distracted by personal commitments which have arisen since my appointment to
office. These distractions have restricted the amount of time available for me to develop the
BRSF coach education initiatives I had planned during my term of office.
Fortunately David has been prepared to shoulder a considerable amount of the load during
this time and has also been very ably supported by Ben Severs and latterly by Tomas Fell.
I'm sure David would agree with me in praising the amount of time, effort and sheer hard work that
Ben and Tom have done in the time that they have been involved with the BRSF. They now form the
backbone of the BRSF coach education team and the feedback from the two coaching courses that they
have run together has been excellent.
It says a lot to consider that at one of the courses there were six of the Tottenham Hotspur
community development coaching team present, all of whom were already qualified as level 2, UK
Coaching Certificate coaches, albeit in other sports, the course itself was organised by Karen
Hills the Tottenham Hotspur community sports development coach.
The other course Ben and Tom have delivered together was organised by Preston Phoenix In-line
hockey club and the club have commented very favourably on the outcome of the course.
Karen has already asked if we can deliver another roller skating coach education course for the
Tottenham Hotspur Community Development Team, this highlights the main problem we now face and
must address over the next year which is one of developing our team of coach educators and
assessors. This is now the primary thing which holds back the development of the BRSF coach
education programme, we are receiving requests to run both skateboarding and roller skating
courses to coaches qualified in other sports and we are hard pressed by a lack of tutors and
assessors based around the country.
We now have the help of the Football Association through its network of community sports coaches
working through the Football Foundation
(website)
to help us deliver our coach education agenda.
As you will see from the Football Foundation website: their mission is to improve facilities,
create opportunities and build communities throughout England. and further you will
see that they have access £40 million each year to deliver community projects, as well as
football, within the community through a number of major football clubs.
In Tottenham the BRSF were provided with all facilities and the back-up of full time professional
workers within the sports industry to help develop our sport at its grassroots level.
Coach Education Sponsorship
The BRSF have developed a partnership with Rollerblade which is specifically arranged to:
Help to fund the accreditation and endorsement process of the BRSF coach education
programme, which is currently in progress through the National Coaching Foundation, divisions of
1st4sport, Sports Coach UK & UK Coaching Certificate, and
Provide a discounted source of in-line skating equipment to coaches, schools and other organisations
wishing to develop roller skating.
(see here)
The Rollerblade sponsorship scheme is now operational and Rollerblade are already providing
equipment for coaches through the scheme.
The BRSF coach education team also have other sponsorship deals in the pipeline, one of which when
concluded will provide BRSF coach education tutors and assessors, accredited coaches and their
clubs with a greatly discounted clothing and allied equipment.
All of the above initiatives help the BRSF to achieve the aims and objectives set within the BRSF
Whole Sports Plan and will make the BRSF coach education initiative much more credible within the
wider sporting community.
We are now truly recognised as being able to deliver a fully professional product in the sporting
marketplace.
Recently the Swedish Roller Skating Federation has formally asked to buy into our coach education
programme and have written asking us to send our coaches to Sweden to help them develop their own
grassroots level programmes based upon our programme. The Swedish federation intend to send a
delegation of their own coaches to Great Britain this coming May/ June to see how we are delivering
coaching to schools, this is in itself an endorsement of the success of our coach education programme.
Much credit should go to John Fry and his team of coaches in Birmingham for doing much of the
development work in this area.
The BRSF coach education team is being asked by English county sports partnerships to run coach
education courses in partnership with them, in their areas, because the attainment of coach education
awards will assist roller skating clubs when applying for Club Mark recognition, or when applying for
grants and other funding.
Also as clubs from the various federation's become more aware of the improved funding opportunities
available to those clubs that hold BRSF coach education awards, more clubs are now making direct
contact with the BRSF coach education team.
It may well become necessary for those federation's who are not currently engaged in coach education
initiatives, for them to become so committed, as without so doing they are likely to lose
credibility with their membership.
Nigel Dickerson.
Coaching Director,
to access the BRSF Coach Education pages
click here
to contact the BRSF Coach Education team
click here
|
