RiC Case Study - A Coach's Journey

Good Practice Case Study May 2010

A Coach’s Journey How do you solve a problem like disruptive behaviour in afterschool clubs? With a boxercise teaching lollipop lady! This is just one of the results of the Recruit into Coaching (RiC) Programme in Wolverhampton.

This case study looks at how Westcroft Sports and Vocational College in partnership with Westcroft School Sports Partnership (SSP) successfully used RiC funding in afterschool clubs and follows the story of one recruit, Carla. Transforming from lollipop lady to coach, Carla’s story demonstrates the positive impact RiC can have on individuals, participants and the community.

Local coaches Background Westcroft SSP covers one third of the Wolverhampton district, an urban Unitary Authority ranked the 28th most deprived local authority in England.

Within the area covered by Westcroft SSP there are local areas ranked within the worst 1% for overall deprivation and for child well-being (source: Wolverhampton City Council, Window on Wolverhampton, 2009).

When the SSP initially got involved with RiC they enlisted the help of a Coach Manager – who had considerable experience of training and employing coaches – to put together robust planning and delivery mechanisms for the programme for the area.

Recruiting local people into the RiC programme was seen as a priority. The SSP wanted coaches who connected with the area and were known to local people. This, it was argued, would help the RiC coach to engage with the community as both parents and children feel safe with people they know and would therefore be more willing to get involved.

Carla was one such local. Her job as a lollipop lady was an obvious connection with the community and the Westcroft Partnership Development Manager noticed ‘everyone tended to be around her chatting’.

Carla was initially involved in a scheme called Women Get Set Go, involving leadership and multiskills training, and had shown a definite talent that could be channelled towards coaching.

For Carla, Women Get Set Go was an enjoyable experience that she felt had been very interesting and helped boost her confidence. She was therefore grateful for the chance to take this to the next level with RiC. Continued overleaf

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Since coming on the RiC programme Carla has become a focal point in the community. Her position leads to regular contact with parents and she has used this to emphasise the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. This has had a positive influence on a number of parents, especially with weight loss and exercise. Carla has since been approached by these parents looking for more information on courses.

Her progression from lollipop lady to coach is also an inspiration to others and she says to them: ‘If I can do it, so can you.’

For the children too, having a coach who they see every day in the community creates the feeling of belonging and trust that they do not get with a coach they might only see once a week.

The more sports the better...

As part of their induction, the recruits were asked to provide information about themselves such as: their favourite sports; what physical activities they do; any leadership courses they had taken; and what sports/activities they wanted to get involved with.

The SSP wanted recruits to take courses in sports they had an interest in and as a result there was a diverse range of Level 1 courses covering traditional sports such as football and netball, but also new activities including cheerleading and boxercise. By choosing their favourite sports the SSP contacts believed recruits would have a passion for it when they were out delivering.

An additional consequence of the diversity of sports was that for many children it was these newer sports, such as cheerleading, that attracted the most interest.

Building confidence in the group Twenty recruits from the local area joined the Westcroft SSP programme in the first year. They represented a diverse range of people and interests including secretaries, dinner ladies, sixth formers and firemen. For many in the group, confidence was an issue and this was something that needed to be addressed from the outset.

‘Some of the people on the course would not have gone off and done a course on their own. We needed to build up their confidence and build a team,’ said the Coach Manager.

Every other Tuesday, the recruits would meet at a local primary school and it was there they completed their First Aid and Safeguarding Children courses. For many, this was a reintroduction to a learning environment and, by doing these courses together, they were comfortable with the environment, which helped build their confidence. As a result, when the time came to do their Level 1 course, they were quite happy to proceed.

In this environment the Coach Manager noticed the recruits wanted to do more because they felt part of a team, and they were keen to support each other. The range of ages and experiences also allowed people to learn new things. ‘There’s a big age gap, but I’m not alienated...we click and bond,’ said Carla.

Opportunities for recruits Recruits were involved with delivering sessions within the multiskill academies organised by the SSP. This provided practical opportunities for coaches to use their new skills linked to the sports they were qualified in.

Together with the Coach Manager, she approached schools with the offer of taking an afterschool session in boxercise.

The response from girls and boys alike was amazing.

The SSP also plan to use the new coaches during National School Sport Week. This, it was argued, will increase the profile of the coaches and the RiC programme among other schools.

Although most of the 15-year-old lads were expecting an ex-boxer rather than someone like Carla, the fact they continued to attend week after week speaks volumes for the success of the sessions.

A particular success for Carla was working with both the RiC programme and Sport Unlimited in an afterschool boxercise club.

For Carla, bonding with the children and earning their respect made this an invaluable experience.

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In another afterschool club there was an issue with boys in the club constantly fighting.

When asked why they did it the children said ‘fighting is what we do, we want to fight.’

The Coach Manager was approached by the school to see if he could come up with a programme to help which included Carla’s boxercise sessions for Years 3, 4 and 5.

Again, the results were good.

Everyone involved, including the boys, were so focussed on the classes that behaviour improved. Recently, requests have been made for a community based club to be set up in the area, so friends who are not at the school can get involved.

What next for recruits?

Now that the recruits have finished the programme the SSP was keen to establish a pathway to further coach development opportunities. The recruits were also keen and were in touch with the SSP looking for more opportunities.

As a first step, the recruits were set to act as ‘buddies’ to help develop next year’s trainees. The plan is to involve them in the induction by talking about their experiences with RiC and they might possibly run some coaching sessions with the new recruits. This will be a real life inspiration for the new recruits who can say ‘that will be me next year’.

Ultimately the SSP would like to see a RiC Stage 2 to offer Sportsability training and

continue the development with local clubs by offering them a role within the programme. As the Coach Manager said of Carla: ‘The pathway is important...we need to make sure she doesn’t just stop now...we can set up programmes and continue with the training.’

The SSP have been keen to use RiC recruits to link with other programmes in the community. The Change for Life campaign had a high profile in the area and recruits have been active in promoting it. With Cycling for Life and Dance for Life soon to be promoted in the area the SSP wants to make sure they have cycling and dancing recruits coming through to seize these highprofile opportunities.

Top tips and recommendations •

Finding recruits who are well known in the local area can help promote the programme and build trust among children and parents.

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If you’re working with a group of people who are low on confidence, building a supportive team environment and starting with courses just for that group are good ways to address this.

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Recruits with a diverse range of sporting interests provide opportunities to capture children’s attention with something new.

Not everyone is interested in the traditional school sports and activities such as boxercise and cheerleading have proved particularly attractive for those traditionally disinterested in sports.

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Look for ways to promote the RiC programme through high-profile campaigns such as the National School Sport Week and Change for Life. Getting your coaches involved in these areas can help reach a wider audience.

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Bringing Year 1 recruits back to act as ‘buddies’ for new trainees may have a positive benefit for both.

The coaches get experience and continue to feel involved while providing an inspiration to the new trainees.

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An experienced coach manager can be a real asset to any SSP in planning and delivering coaching programmes.

A final word...

The final word about RiC in the area goes to Carla: ‘I never expected it to go this far. Just thought I was going to be left there having a certificate and little bit of experience. But to be put on Recruit into Coaching and go through courses and actually delivering round schools has met more than my expectations.’

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