Rugby Coach

by Robin Marshall, Under 9's @ Navan RFC

When I entered the local grounds for an introductory visit for my son I had never considered the idea of becoming a coach. 4 years later I'm glad I got involved.

After a few weekly session visits it had caught my lad’s interest and he was participating with enthusiasm and so he decided to join. At one of those sessions the U6's manager asked parents if anyone would like to help out on the pitch. Having never been a coach and not having held the ball in over 30 years I feared I’d not have the necessary skills or fitness but together with a few other parents we took the opportunity and joined too.

We'd already committed to attending training sessions so we felt we might as well participate and it really is much warmer being active on the pitch. As new players join in each year we've gained more coaches to now have 10 for our Team.

Born in Wales I grew up and enjoyed being in a culture which heavily favoured the oval ball at school, in local clubs and on the TV.

My local team of Neath held more than its fair share of Wales International players and they were all approachable people and local hero’s to many of us.

Not all of my friends were natural athletes at a young age but it was a sport we could all participate in regardless of our different body shapes, sizes and abilities. I was tall, fast and skinny so apart from being a prop forward I tried out most other field positions and enjoyed them all. We played from primary school age through to the local U16’s bonding as team mates and making new friends from a very wide catchment area.

Roll on thirty more years and I'm beyond the reasonable age to be playing the game. The landscape and scenery here is similar to Wales but the game's position in society is very different and behind Gaelic and Soccer. However there's something to be said for supporting any local team that you can watch on a regular bases come rain or sunshine. TV has a lot to answer for by turning some children into being distant armchair supporters and not players.

The Six Nations Games on TV has however made a positive impression on my family with much cheering and banter across the sofa....... especially Wales vs Ireland games.

Watching, playing and coaching are all quite different experiences.

Willingness to Learn.

No child starts off as an international level player on the pitch of the Aviva Stadium and neither do the coaches. It's a learning curve with a balanced progression for everyone. Rugby training has distinct and set stages of evolution that is appropriate to the child’s age and physical ability. The IRFU set the game policy and our Leinster Rugby branch setup the coaching courses to give us the information, support and training we need.

Starting at the earliest entry level means that players, coaches and parents too all start from the very basics of the game under guidance of the manager. The main focus for every sport is to enjoy the experience and for the players to have fun, the parents to see this for themselves and for the coaches to notice everyone and everything.

There's a commitment from all coaches to give up their time, to arrive early at meetings, bring the kit and setup the sessions. They also become on and off pitch mentors, teachers, guides and supporters. We're always ready to offer up positive encouragement, be enthusiastic and respectful, to even wear a permanent smile on our faces since how we act will be emulated and remembered.

There's an early realization for a coach that it takes a personal change of perspective and willingness to see the world through the players eyes. Learning voice and crowd control skills together with simple techniques to organise, motivate, encourage and instruct players in games that they enjoy and help teach the game.

One thing that I found to be a difficult challenge is to remember people's names. With 30 to 40 players it's a struggle and then you've also got double the names of the parents too. Noticing and encouraging a player as they improve and develop is an essential skill but to use their name from day one is hugely encouraging to the players.

Off the pitch there is some regular pre planning needed for training sessions with objectives and goals to set. With nearly 40 players at u7's my role developed to Head Coach which meant more of a communications role to organise parents, players, coaches and opponents whilst being a link to the club management. Modern phone Apps easily manage this and essentially if you're organised then everything happens as it should.

There's weekly match reports to write with action photos which also acts as a record and reminder of the teams development and progress over the past 3 seasons. Since the leap from u6 to u9 is hugely noticeable in such a young child the change has been dramatic.

Towards the very end of the season we played a few local clubs but enjoyment is the underling aim.

Our big event of the year was the Armagh Blitz in Northern Ireland. Travelling up by team bus it is a milestone for the players in their rugby career.

It’s a landmark in their understanding of both Team and Game Spirit where they bond together, wear their team colours with pride and experience the respect opposing teams extend to each other.

Here at this stage being a coach also makes you eligible to be the unbiased referee which isn't an easy role to step into but part of the coaching experience. The guiding principle is that you're not only going to try your best to be fair and consistent in upholding the game rules and referee in the 'spirit' of the game. Being able to explain your decisions to the players throughout the game is essential and the more you referee the easier it gets since there's no TV replay and no one is going to criticise your actions in front of the players.

Games against other teams are an amazing experience because it's where you will see your group of players bond and act together as a team for the first time. There's a noticeable difference in how they apply their training and where they start to appreciate the other members of their team and start to share the ball. Although no adult keeps count of the score the players certainly do and we praise everyone for taking part no matter how small the involvement. We do notice how each player develops, encourage them to be involved and watch how they progress in their individual games.

After games each hosting club holds a small buffet organised by the parents which allows players to socialise. Parents make introductions and since Coaches miss out on the side line conversations it’s our chance to socialise with them too.

Now starting our 4th year I appreciate that I'm still a novice coach, always learning, always willing to seek advice and really enjoying the experience.

It's also noticeable in the players and where those who were once shy have now found their voice and developed into team players. This year also brings another step up in the progression of the game to include limited scrums, line outs and a bigger pitch size. However we will continue to build on the basics of sunning, passing and tackling to ensure that we can not only do these, but do them with skill.

Coaching is an enjoyable experience where I not only get to watch my son play but also see every team player develop and to know that I had a part in bringing out those abilities.

When they play well as individuals and as a Team it gives every coach involved a great sense of pride and sense of achievement. Seeing their smiles after a game or a training session is an acknowledgement that your doing something right and win or lose and we're still furthering the spirit of the game.

You also gain some important life skills of focus, motivation and encouragement that your boss in an office environment would appreciate. Not to mention the First Aid training that should be taught to everyone at school age.

Being part of a Club gives a sense of belonging to something much bigger than the game. Together with the regular local team games they host social events and acquire tickets to international and regional games too. There's also a lively social scene at the clubhouse bar.

As every good coach knows Winning isn’t everything : Participation and Enjoyment is.

Courses are formal 'hands on' experiences that take a little bit of getting use to since you take on the roles of both player and coach among your peers. They are however invaluable in gaining skills we didn't have and provide a structure to our own training sessions. Aligned to the age group of the players the focus builds up appropriately and it's simply a case of the more a coach can learn the better they will become at applying that new knowledge and developing their team.

I’m constantly learning and probably will throughout my time with Rugby. No longer just an armchair supporter I'm now more informed about the rules and roles of everyone involved in the game. Even watching matches on TV or at the pitch side I now see the game play quite differently.

Experience on the pitch is the most valuable. The lessons learned at courses are easily transferable to the training sessions and players learn through playing the game and demonstrations. Coaches learn too about what exercises work best for their players and each one has stages that can be extended and progressed to be more complicated or involved.

Rugby is a contact sport and not a violent sport. With every sport comes risk of injury and you'd think there'd be lots of injuries in rugby. Players are all taught about the risks and they really don't want to hurt each other. Coaches are very aware of the dangers and since our own children are playing too we've developed eagle eyes constantly looking for signs of a potential problem.

We undertake Fist Aid courses specifically directed at Rugby and so we're prepared and as importantly we minimize the risk of injury.

As with all the various age groups there's a wealth of advice and support from team coaches who have more experience. Being a highly social club everyone's willing to help each other.

If you want to visit the club then training sessions take place every Saturday from 10:30am to 12 and new members are always welcome. Check out their website and social media for local home games fixtures.

The game rules for each year group are appropriate to their abilities and safety is paramount at all times. All the coaches are volunteer player parents, Garda Vetted and will have undertaken training to ensure that we help teach the game in the safest, most motivational and positive way.

The players all enjoy scoring tries and chasing after each other so there’s plenty of opportunity for them to burn off some energy, bond as a team, gain self-confidence and it’s a great way to make new friends from other schools in the wide Navan catchment area.

Rugby boots, gum shield, team kit and a drinks bottle will be needed together with warm layers and because we only have an annual subscription membership it means that there’s no weekly fees to collect.

If you want to join as a Coach then introduce yourself at the training sessions and start getting involved.

Rugby involves players, parents, coaches, supporters, sponsors, committee, club house ....... a team effort to create a Club.

Annually the players have their Summer Awards Day and up to now our age group has not singled out 'Player of the Year' or similar awards and have instead favoured player medals since they all want the recognition. This year we've to nominate individual players which is another development in the role of being a coach.

Apart from the local games the club also organise social events at the club itself and you can get tickets to go to the Six Nations Games and Leinster games at Stadiums.