My first Publication Overtime November 2019 Merged PDF | Page 17

I feel like there are so many differences, even the
things we say and phrases we use are completely
different. In my first few years I’d always get mocked
for saying jumper and trousers and things like that.
OT: You’ve represented GB/England at
different age groups throughout your career,
were there any clear differences you noticed
between the coaches within GB/England set-
ups to your coaches in America?
MT: The biggest difference is that at Loyola, or at
any college, the coaches have to take into account
everyone on the team and all their needs more so
than when you’re playing at the national level as
when you’re playing at national level it’s typically for a
shorter amount of time.
It’d just be over one summer or a few training camps
here and there, but because the funding we have in
England is so poor, it meant we couldn’t train together
for very long before the European championships.
That meant that the coaches were coaching you
based on your ability and not so much on you as a
person. Whereas, in a college setting over here, you’re
with the team a lot of the time so who you are as a
person needs to be taken into account much more than
it did when you’re only with a team for one summer.
The coaching staff know so much more about you,
it’s a much more personal experience than playing for
the national team.
OT: So you’d say the coaches take care of you
more over in America?
MT: Yeah, I feel like they have to. For example, if
someone was overwhelmed with school work and
they’ve not slept enough, the coaches are going to
notice that in how you’re playing.
There’s so many resources available to help that
person with that issue, it’s basically all these different
people working together to help one individual.
Whereas, in England, it’s ‘you’re a player’, ‘you’re
a coach’, the coach coaches the player and that’s about
“We went to a Mexican
restaurant and the meal sizes
were three times the size of the
ones back home”
it. After it’s said and done, no one really speaks again.
OT: Were the majority of your teammates
American?
MT: The majority were from America. I was the
only Brit and there was another girl from Portugal.
She and I were the only internationals. We had lots
of people from different religious and socio-economic
backgrounds that meant that our team was very
diverse and there were lots of different opinions and
backgrounds. It made things fun and interesting.
OT: From your subjective experiences and
the people you know, do you think there can be
or will be anything done to improve the level
of development of basketball within England?
MT: I think that we’ve struggled in the past because
we haven’t necessarily had successful players come
out of the England pathway.
But, in recent years, we’ve had players
playing at the highest level in America and at
prestigious universities. Also, with the GB women’s
team doing so well at the Commonwealth Games we’re
proving slowly that we should be more eligible for
funding and more money put into programs especially
since there’s so many young people that are interested
in the game.
I think it’s really a matter of time before the
government and people who are providing different
sports with money can recognise that it’s an area for
development and it’s a game which is worth investing
in. I guess it’s only a matter of time but it’s taking a lot
longer than it should be taking.
NOT ENOUGH EXPOSURE
FOR UNI FOOTBALERS
A football coach for the University of Brighton wants to see more semi-professional clubs watching his
teams’ matches, although he admits the gap in the standard between the two levels is large
Words Jacob Masterton-Pipet
F
ootball is a popular sport played by many
university students. Some students have
the desire to go further than university football
and be involved within a semi-professional setup.
It tries to promote healthy living as well as
competitive spirit and sportsmanship.
It is an inclusive space which allows athletes of all
abilities to compete.
Furthermore its league and cup setup replicates
semi-professional structures.
It is a starting platform for most athletes who
want to develop their personal skills and abilities
and allows them to perform at higher level of
competition. I decided to explore this topic further,
to understand how university football impacts a
players chances of being able to play football at a
higher standard.
Overtime asked Mark Shutt, who has been
involved as a coach with the University of Brighton’s
football first team for five years, whether he thought
university players get enough scouting to be given a
chance to play in a semi-professional setup, or if he
thought that there should be more scouts.
Shutt said: “I don’t think there is enough
promotion of the players to get into leagues.
“The players don’t get recognised at games
because there is no promotion of the fixtures.
Consequently, players that have the ability to play
semi-professionally go unseen if they don’t play any
other football.”
Asked if he believed there is a step up, Shutt said:
“Yes I do, massively, I think the overall level of the
university players is beneath the level required for
semi-professional football.”
Highlighting the difference between university
football and semi-professional football shows that
there is a skill gap. Progressing straight into a semi-
professional standard of football is difficult for
players because they do not match the quality that
is needed to play at that level.
Finally, Overtime asked Shutt whether or not
he thinks university football is a good platform to
progress into semi-professional football.
Shutt said: “It definitely should be a good
platform for the lads, but it isn’t, I think there is
a lot of things our universities could take from the
American side of things.”
There is potential for university football
to develop players up to a semi-professional
standard. But the potential is not being realised
because football is not deemed important enough
by universities.
Shutt added: “American Universities offer far
more in terms of facilities, training, officials and
support”.
If British universities were to model themselves
using American methods, university football
could be a good platform for players to progress
into semi-professional football.
University football is lacking support and
promotion and is therefore not reaching the
potential it has in being a springboard for players
to progress into semi-professional football.
Is there enough exposure for your sport
at university?
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