Coaching

June 13, 2021

Coaching is an extremely important aspect of cricket across the world, but particularly in Suffolk. The success of cricket in Suffolk stems from the amazing coaches and volunteers that give up their time to encourage, develop and support the women and girls involved cricket in the region.

Here’s what Suffolk’s Women and Girls lead, Lara Neild, had to say on coaching and how you can get involved.

 

 

How did you get into coaching?

I do not remember a specific moment when I got into coaching, however, at my club I had a group of inspirational coaches who made you want to play the sport no matter what the weather, the result of a match, or any personal performance. These coaches enabled me to play and enjoy the sport so for myself as a coach, I want to ensure that the same amazing opportunities are there for other children to take part in and enjoy as much as I did.

What makes a good coach?

I think there is no single model to be a ‘perfect’ coach as all coaches are different and all children learn differently. Personally, as a coach I try to be organised, approachable, and friendly, however, it is important to tailor your approach to each individual. At the end of the day, the main aim of a session is for the participants to enjoy themselves, so if everyone leaves with a smile on their face then that’s all that matters!

What is the best thing about coaching?

There is nothing better in cricket than seeing people enjoy playing the sport. Coaching is a great way to get as many children as possible and adults learning the sport – whether that is for the first time or the 1000th, there is always something more to learn. When you work hard with a player on something and then see them perform that skill in a match on a weekend and succeed, it puts a smile on your face as a coach.

As a coach there is also always something to improve on yourself and for your players, which I think makes coaching extremely rewarding as you are learning as much from coaching player as the players are when taking part in a session.

How important are coaches to cricket?

Coaches are a vital component of cricket in Suffolk. Coaches are often volunteers giving up their time to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to play the sport. Without the coaches, the sessions cannot go ahead so they are extremely important. For the women and girls game specifically, it is great to see an increase in female coaches of all ages getting involved in the sport as these women are amazing role models for the women and girls they are coaching; particularly for younger girls these women inspire girls to pursue the sport.

If you could coach anyone who would you pick?

If I could coach anyone, I would love to coach Sarah Taylor as she is unbelievable, although then again, I am not sure there is much I could teach her! My favourite session to coach is All Stars so my All-Stars group would have to be a close second.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start coaching?

If you are looking to get into coaching, my one piece of advice would be to not stress about running a session but to start small, maybe helping with a warmup, and activity, or even just shadowing a coach. I started with a coach support worker course, and I would thoroughly recommend this as a great way to learn the basics of coaching and to build up confidence. There are many coaching opportunities out there so starting small is the best way to test out if it is for you, and coaches always appreciate any additional help no matter how large or small!

 

 

If you are interested in getting involved in Coaching, Suffolk cricket is running a series of ECB coaching courses over the Summer, including:

  1. Foundation 1 Course
    • Men and Women
    • 20th June & 4th July
    • 9.30am – 4.30 pm
    • South Lee School Sports Hall, Bury St. Edmunds
    • Age 17+
  2. ECB Support Coach Course (old Coach Support Worker course)
    • Women only
    • 11th July
    • 9am-12am
    • Melton St. Audry’s CC
    • Age 16+

 

 

If you would like more information on how to get involved in coaching or advice on where to start, please contact your local cricket club or Lara Neild who can assist.

 

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