ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam 39 | Page 6

“We’re not saying that everyone needs
a reflective coach, it’s just the need to
understand the specifics of players from
these communities.” don’t understand the importance of that time.
Whether a coach reintegrates and embraces them
afterwards or cuts them from the team could be
the difference between that player continuing
with the sport or not. It’s about compassion and
understanding, not special treatment.”
supply to the demand of some players from those
communities is currently not possible. Mohammed is also conscious of the current
mindsets of potential South Asian coaches, which
have been influenced by age-old feelings that the
formal structures of cricket are not for them.
“We’re not saying that everyone needs a reflective
coach, it’s just the need to understand the
specifics of players from these communities.”
Contributing to this conversation a few days later
is Wasim Khan, Chief Executive of Leicestershire
CCC, President of the National Asian Cricket
Council and member of the South Asian Advisory
Group. He agrees with Mohammed’s assessment
of where coaching needs to go, and identifies
coaching courses as an untapped resource.
“Coaching courses haven’t traditionally done
enough to prepare coaches to deal with the
potential challenges of working with players from
diverse communities. There’s some psychology
there now, but probably not enough about what
diversity means and what a coach’s role is in
embracing it and ensuring that there’s a real
inclusion factor.
“At Leicestershire, we recently ran an unconscious
bias course which was really interesting in terms
of highlighting that a lot of what drives your
decision making and judgement are things that
you’re not aware of,” Wasim explains.
“So I’d ask, could unconscious bias trainers come
on to coaching courses and deliver modules?
Take Ramadan for example. If players make
themselves unavailable for a month, it could be
seen as a lack of commitment to the team, if you
6
Hitting the Seam Issue 39
“There is also some trepidation when it comes
to the courses, where coaches from diverse
communities are more likely to ask: ‘Will I know
anyone? Will I fit in? Will my English be good
enough? Will my session planning be up to
scratch?’ But the mo