The Coach Education department has interviewed a number of coaches over the Winter about their experiences on some of the courses, and we start with Andrew Shields who went on the Level Two in Bready during November...

Q: Andrew, tell us a little bit about yourself, your cricket and your coaching!

A: Originally from Adelaide, South Australia, I live Greencastle, County Donegal with my wife and two children. A lot of my cricket was played at school and college level in Australia, I also played indoor cricket, which is big there. In 2005 I was inspired to play cricket again after watching the most amazing Ashes series ever. I was introduced to Ardmore Cricket Club and enjoyed playing there ever since.

Q: Where do you coach? What age group would you concentrate on?

A: I’m already a qualified Life and Business Coach but the course should be the next evolutionary step for me. Our club has a diverse age range of players from U12 upwards, at present the kids receive excellent coaching and this is paying dividends in terms of results, I’m hoping to integrate and add to this. I would also like to coach some senior teams who don’t have any structured programme. Outside my club I would also like to work in schools and youth clubs in areas that don’t have an established ‘cricketing culture’ I would like to introduce kids to playing a game they would have never tried before.

Q: What was the reason behind you doing the recent UKCC Level Two that was run in Bready during November?

A: Having a high quality training programme offered in the North West was a fantastic opportunity. I feel it important to always be developing and learning new skills and techniques. It also gives me the opportunity to feed new skills to my club and help my club develop in the coming seasons.

Q: What were you expecting on the course?

A: To be honest, I wasn’t really 100% sure. I was asking myself the question was I well enough qualified to coach? I was hoping the course would take me from someone with an interest in cricket to becoming a qualified L2 coach.

Q: How did you find it? Did it match those expectations?

A: In short; yes. The course was very well structured, the presentation and delivery was excellent, and the practical demonstrations, drills and techniques of all aspects cricket were amazing. The workbooks, DVDs and other literature were of a very high standard. The tutors made the course both challenging and enjoyable. I got so much out of the course. However, like most learning experiences you only really start when you start coaching. I am looking forward to introducing many aspects learned over the course to my club in the new season.

Q: How do you think the course will benefit you as a coach, and the players you work with?

A: The learning curve was quiet steep for me, I benefited greatly from this course is so many ways. The course gives me the confidence and knowledge to provide quality coaching from warm-up right through to cool down for all age groups and abilities. It also helped me personally up-skill to a higher level, so that I’m technically a good coach and hopefully a better player! The course also gives you a great understanding of the coaching processes. The course was also backed up with support from ECB CA and Cricket Ireland, so that I can continue to develop my coaching skills. I’m now really looking forward to starting to work with the guys back at the club this season.

Q: What are your goals as a coach for the season (we will keep an eye on you!!!)

A: Apart from getting fully qualified, my initial goal is to start coaching in schools and youth clubs in areas that are not traditional cricket areas, I’d like to introduce kids to the concept of playing cricket. Further to this I’m also working with other coaches to run a summer camps in some schools. At a club level I’m hoping to work on a development programme for our young players and run specific clinics on bowling, fielding and batting throughout the season. My main goal however, is to change the culture of my club from just turning up to practice and bowling and batting, I hoping to introduce a warm-up routines, stretching, fitness work and various drills to help player develop in all areas of their game.

 If you are a coach and would like more information on the Coach Education programme and how to get involved, please contact Stephen Moreton on [email protected] or +353833779208.