Coaching Insight Volume 8 | Page 12

10 Taking Responsibility C lubs throughout England and Wales are often challenged when it comes to coaching, so let’s start with four questions which are often raised to me and which form the backbone of planning for coaching and coach development. • What do we need? • Who is available to coach? • Are they qualified? • What are the requirements to achieve and maintain Clubmark? TAKING RESPONSIBILITY Coaching is key to players’ experience, participation and satisfaction about their club. Dave Leighton, National Participation Coaching Manager, discusses what can be done to help coaches. In truth, there are similarities within all clubs in terms of personnel required. It is mostly a matter of scale, in that the more young players you have, the more coaches and other adults will be required to safely support and develop them. Of course, in an ideal world all clubs would like to have enough of the best coaches and sufficient availability, which we all know is not possible with the current provision throughout the 3500 clubs with a junior section. Not that clubs shouldn’t be striving to achieve this.