ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam Issue 37 | Page 18

THIS COACHING LIFE
Naomi Aspin and Patricia Hankins tell us their coaching stories;
opportunities taken and challenges faced.
Naomi: Ten years after my first
coaching session – when I was
just trying to help out at the
club where my father was the
chairman – I look back and I’m
amazed at how much I’ve learnt
and experienced.
I can see how much I’ve grown
as a person through coaching
and how my cricket family has
also grown, massively. I am very
fortunate to have some great
mentors who always help and
support me. I am part of the CA,
an association of thousands of
like-minded members, and part
of a coach education team that
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Hitting the Seam Issue 37
works hard to inspire other
coaches to learn and grow.
Those initial intentions, of giving
something back to the sport
which had been a fundamental
part of my family’s life, quickly
evolved into something more. I
wanted other children to
experience the same fun, safe
environment that I had through
cricket, by helping out with the
junior sessions at my club. Little
did I know where I would be a
few short years later.
My thirst for knowledge and my
desire to improve saw me
attending not only local CPD
workshops with the Lancashire
Coaches Association but also
the National Conferences where
I could learn yet more
information and talk it through
with other like-minded coaches.
To be honest, my first National
Conference was very daunting,
as I think I was one of five
female coaches in attendance!
However, at no point was I
made to feel out of place. I was
just seen as another coach there
to improve my knowledge. I am
pleased to say that the number
of female coaches at the