Stellenbosch University South Africa and the PESS department in UL have a long-established relationship, stretching back almost 20 years. Previous visits have focused on rugby science, esports and golf and coaching. In the latest exchange between the universities, Postgraduate researcher Alan Dineen and staff members Ian Sherwin and Phil Kearney delivered a series of presentations and held discussions about current and future projects.
Ian Sherwin, who in addition to his role in PESS is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Sport Leadership in Stellenbosch, presented on Athlete Communication Preferences in Team Sports while Alan Dineen presented on Parasport Coaches Perceptions of Professional Development and System Supports in Ireland, as well as participating in a practical workshop. Phil Kearney presented sessions on The potential of skill acquisition to support coach development and Distinguishing the Truths from the Myths in the Sport & Exercise Sciences. There were also several meetings with researchers working in the area of parasport and coaching more broadly.
What were the trip highlights?
Alan Dineen: “Sharing my research with the 3rd year students who will transition into para / disability coaching next semester was a definite highlight. It was encouraging to hear that they are already engaging with their athletes around barriers and facilitators to participation in para / disability sport (some students are working in the intellectual disability sphere).”
“A second highlight was discussing the work with Suzanne Ferreira from GAPS Africa. [GAPS (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) is Commonwealth Sport’s Para sport, development and inclusion pathway programme, designed to provide Para athletes and coaches with access to skills, knowledge, and resources that aid their personal development and training as they prepare for competition, while driving hope and motivation and building pride and a strong sense of identity amongst the participants.] It was valuable to see alignment in coach experiences across contexts and to hear her perspectives on how parasport coaching can be improved globally.”
Ian Sherwin: Participating in the Erasmus+ programme with UL Global provided me with the opportunity to build new relationships with international colleagues and strengthen already established ones from a previous visit to South Africa. As a Research Fellow with the Centre for Sport Leadership in Stellenbosch University, one of the highlights of this visit was meeting Chief Director Ilhaam Groenewald and Prof. Cora Burnett-Louw to develop new research projects focused on female coaching in university sport. Another highlight was the presentation to 1st and 2nd year students of our research project on Athlete Communication Preferences during training and competition. Erasmus+ Staff Mobility activities are designed to connect people from different cultures and experience more about how they live.
Phil Kearney: “It is tough to pick out highlights. The Stellenbosch campus is beautiful and all of the conversations, whether with the superb groups of 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students or the PhD students at various stages of their programmes of research, were highly stimulating. Discovering some aligned work in the growth and maturation space and hearing about how differing contexts shape questions and implications was fascinating.”
“It was also great to connect with Professor Sharief Hendricks at the University of Cape Town to see his tackle simulator and discuss their current lines of research.”
The Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Fund was used to support strategic mobility of experts in the field, which will hopefully enhance teaching contribution in both Stellenbosch University and UL as well as stimulating future research and teaching collaborations in relation to sports coaching. Special thanks to Prof. Heinrich Grobbelaar for being an excellent host and to all the colleagues we met for sharing their work and spending time with us throughout the visit
Dr Phil Kearney is the Course Director of the MSc Applied Sports Coaching within the PESS Department here at the University of Limerick. View Phil’s profile: https://pure.ul.ie/en/persons/philip-kearney/
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