On May 28th, the first Coaching Conversations evening was hosted at the PESS Building, University of Limerick. Coaches from a wide range of sports, including soccer, gymnastics, Gaelic games, rugby, hockey, rowing, archery, athletics, and various martial arts came together for an evening of presentations, Q&A and learning.
Ireland U21 Manager Jim Crawford described his journey as a coach, highlighting the key influences on his playing career and how his coaching process has evolved. Jim emphasized a shift from an over-emphasis on tactics to building effective relationships with players and staff, focusing on a holistic player development programme.
Angela Griffin shared insights from Gymnastics Ireland’s work in understanding the athlete’s voice and creating an organization that better supports and retains young athletes. She highlighted how learning and mastering new skills gives girls moments of pride that boost their confidence and self-worth. The full report, which is packed full of guidance for coaches of teenage girls in any sport, is available here.
Anna McCarthy provided insights into her coaching journey and detailed practical steps that coaches can take to make training and competition environments better suited for teenage girls. Despite discussing different sports, the overlap between Angela’s messages about Gymnastics and Anna’s insights into Gaelic Games was striking and prompted an engaging Q&A.
The evening provided many ideas for the attending coaches in terms of exploring and enhancing their practice.
Future Coaching Conversation evenings will be announced via the Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences (PESS) Social Media pages.
Where can I read more about the MSc Applied Sports Coaching?
Applications are open for September 2024. You can read more about the programme here, or take a look at #MScAppliedSportsCoachingUL where you will find insights such as exemplar pre-course activities and examples of the type of research we will be engaging with. You can also explore these FAQs.
If you are interested in the programme or require further information please contact:
Dr Philip Kearney PhD
Course Director – MSc Applied Sports Coaching
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences
University of Limerick
Limerick.
Ireland
Tel: 00-353-61202844
Email: ASC@ul.ie
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