Bouncing Back after the pandemic
The 2022/23 England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award programme kicked off recently and looks like having a very positive impact.
This year will see more than 150 coaches involved at seven venues around the country, including 28 days’ face-to-face engagement and coaches being paired with mentors.
Each year the Advanced Coaching Award plays a significant role in giving players positive experiences, enhancing player welfare, and creating the best possible high-performance system for England Rugby.
Following a 12-month interruption caused by the pandemic, 226 people completed the Advanced Coaching Award by the end of the 2021-22 season. This was part of a positive picture which shows attendances on training courses returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Changes to the format of England Rugby Coaching and Refereeing Award courses, including the introduction of online support, webinars and communities of practice, alongside face-to-face training days, has brought more effective support of coaches and referees throughout the season. Over 70,000 engagements were recorded across the training programme, with huge numbers accessing video guides and resources on social media feeds and YouTube.
In four months, no fewer than a thousand people completed the new Introduction to Refereeing Course, launched in March. And in the coming season, as part of the Rugby World Cup Legacy, the aim is to support over 500 women coaches and referees to help with the continuing growth of the women’s and girls’ game.
From England player to coaches’ coach
Tamara Taylor is a Coach Developer at England Rugby, after an outstanding international career, having won 115 England caps, been their captain and the 2017 Player of the Year. She was also a player coach at Darlington Mowden Park Sharks and then at Saracens when they won the Premiership 15 title.
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“Having played since I was 15, I’ve always coached since being a student at Newcastle University, where I continued coaching after graduating. From the outset I did my coaching qualifications as although as a player you have knowledge and experience of the game, it’s very different to coaching where you need to get a message across in a way players understand.
“I do think that to understand how to coach, the skills and behaviours you need, you need qualifications and it’s great to see so many people on these courses. We did lots online during lockdown, but gold standard means being back learning and developing together and having so many on the Advanced Coaching Award courses will hopefully see better playing experiences across the country.”
One new coach going on a course for the first time, Marcellus Archer said: “The England Rugby Coaching Award course has given me confidence to move forwards, with a good understanding of how to develop players, both in the Army with the corps, and in civilian rugby, primarily in the women’s game. It’s equipped me to help those I coach become better players. I wish I’d done it ten years ago because I’d have been a better player myself.”
