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Coach Bursary Fund case studies

Ian Eccles

Ian Eccles is a volunteer at Glossop Kinder Velo Cycling Club, where he coaches members of the Go Ride (youth) squad.

He has recently gained a Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Track Cycling, with the help of the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund.

Together with other volunteer coaches Ian teaches around 20 young people every week, and he decided to further his knowledge and skills by undertaking the British Cycling course.

He found out about the Fund after searching on the Internet to see if he qualified for any financial help towards the cost of the course, and after filling in an application form was told he was eligible for £200.

Ian said: “The Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund has helped me by easing the financial strain of having to pay the full amount for the course, and it is always nice to know that there is someone out there who is willing to support you in some way!

“Having someone help you out also makes you work harder on the course.

“The funding is a great help for anyone wishing to improve their own qualifications and self worth.”

The Level 3 qualification also means Ian is now able to coach on a one to one basis and prescribe his own coaching rather than that of others. Together with a recent Awards for All grant, which Ian was instrumental in helping to secure for the cycling club, this now means the club will be able to coach even more young people, providing a traffic-free environment for under-16s to practice their bike handling skills.

Peter Morton

Keen paddler Peter Morton is a volunteer coach at Buxton-based canoe and kayak club Peak Paddlers.

As well as helping others learn new skills Peter has also been able to improve both on and off the water, and with cash help from the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund has gained his UKCC Level 1 Coach Award.

He said: “The course has given me basic coaching skills for canoeing and kayaking and allows me to work in a limited environment, coaching on small enclosed waterways such as canals and small lakes.

“Someone at the club had been passed details about the Coach Bursary Fund and emailed it around. I had been looking at doing the course and the bursary I received was a big help financially both for me and the club as I didn’t have to go to the club for money to subsidise the cost.”

Peak Paddlers had also been forced to close its doors to new members due to a shortage of available coaching staff, so Peter’s qualification helped tackle this problem. He is now keen to continue and gain his Level 2 award.

He said: “The Fund was a big help and what was also really pleasing was how simple the paperwork was. It was really straightforward and a pleasure to do.”

Nicole Screaton

Long Eaton Swimming Club’s Nicole Screaton applied to the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund after being told about a course which would help develop her coaching abilities.

As a volunteer, coaching children on the Learn to Swim programme, she decided she would like to work towards the ASA/UKCC Level 1 Certificate for Teaching Aquatics, but found it would cost more than £300 to complete.

By applying to the Fund she was able to get help and was awarded a bursary to meet half of the overall cost. She is now able to coach a small group of children on her own within the club environment, and is able to better utilise her skills to help young swimmers reach their potential.

Nicole said the Fund had helped her, as well as the club and the children she coaches. She said: “Without the help from the Coach Bursary Fund I don’t think I would have done the course because it was so expensive.

“Most of the children I coach have just come out of the teaching pool, and can swim a width.

“I concentrate on helping to build their confidence in the water and starting to bring in stroke techniques for four main strokes, breastroke, front crawl, backstroke and the beginnings of butterfly.

“I really enjoy it and it is nice to see the kids progress.”

Katherine Bates, from Ashbourne, applied to the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund after deciding to update her coaching qualifications.

She chose to undertake courses in Multi-skills and FUNdamentals as well as the Level 1 Coaching Rugby Union Qualification, and on completion received 50 per cent of the overall cost from the bursary fund.

Katherine, who is a volunteer coach as well as working as a paid coach at the Rugby Development Centre at Derby College, said: "Having funded my coaching career myself for so long it is rewarding to receive some financial help.

"The bursary fund is an incentive to help coaches further both their qualifications and knowledge, especially within the voluntary sector."

Katherine (pictured), who has been coaching for 14 years following a successful playing career, set up the now well-established Youth Section at Ashbourne RUFC and then progressed to Derby RFC helping to set up its Ladies and Girls Section.

Whilst voluntarily coaching with schools and clubs Katherine has been instrumental in helping to set up a new initiative in Ashbourne bringing together local sporting clubs for an annual event which gives children and adults the chance to try new sports free of charge. She also advises the police on reducing anti-social behaviour and crime through sport which has also been very successful.

She said: "Gaining the new qualifications, with the help of the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund, has helped open new opportunities for me as people are actively approaching me with requests for help.

"Since taking my old qualification within rugby and working closely with Alan Royer, RFU Rugby Development Officer, I realised that many aspects of coaching have altered, and by retaking the new qualification it has enabled me to recognise these changes and update my knowledge and skills."

Graham Dean

Graham Dean, from Derby, used the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund to help him gain a Level 2 UK Coaching Certificate.

As a volunteer with Derby Rowing Club, Graham has gradually become more involved with coaching other members, and money from the Coach Bursary Fund has helped him to work towards a professional qualification to back up his years of experience in the sport.

He said: "I certainly wouldn't have done the course had the funding from the coach bursary scheme not been available. It is definitely something that is needed.

"If you are a volunteer coach you are not going to get the cost of a course back through your coaching work, and so the cost could be prohibitive to some people getting a qualification."

Graham heard about the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund through the Amateur Rowing Association's local coaching development officer, and he urged other coaches in Derbyshire to apply to the fund too.

Graham said: "It was great to be able to do the course. It has allowed me to think about things such as health and safety and child protection rather than just rowing technique.

"The course also helps you to plan your sessions and become more participant-focussed and more interactive, which helps the athletes to move on and get more out of a coaching session."

North East Derbyshire coach

One volunteer teacher from a North East Derbyshire club was ecstatic at being awarded a bursary from the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund, which helped towards the cost of a Level 2 Teaching Aquatics course.

She said: "I would recommend that anyone wishing to apply for funds should go for it.

"You can fill in the form online which wasn't difficult and it is a great help towards the cost of the course.

"Don't be put off give it a try. I did and feel very grateful to everyone at Derbyshire Sport for their confidence in me and awarding me a bursary grant of £200."

Andrew Cooper

Money from the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund has helped Andrew Cooper to gain a Level 2 UK Coaching Certificate, and in turn given him a confidence boost.

As a long-standing volunteer with Pilsley Cricket Club, when a second Level 2 qualified coach was needed at the club Andrew stepped in and enrolled on a course.

He also decided to attend two coach development workshops, and was able to apply to the Coach Bursary Fund and receive 50 per cent of the costs back.

Andrew said: "I wanted to build on my own personal development as a coach, and take more in to give more back.

"The club's junior section has grown significantly in the last two or three years so we needed another Level 2 coach, and also as a team manager the confidence that the course has given me is enormous.

"It has really spurred me on and getting the funding towards it really helps."

He added: "The training has opened up a whole new spectrum. It has given me the confidence and the know-how to put into practice things that I was perhaps struggling with before and has helped me to help other people."

Andrew hopes that the main beneficiaries from his coaching experiences will be the juniors he coaches.

Gavin Down

Gavin Down from Bolsover Boxing Academy is among five coaches at the club who recently applied to the Derbyshire Sport Coach Bursary Fund for help with training.

They all successfully completed a boxing tutors course run by the Amateur Boxing Association of England, and were able to receive 50 per cent of the overall cost of the course back from the bursary fund.

As a result, Gavin and his fellow coaches are now qualified to teach in schools, and dozens of local children and young people are already reaping the benefits.

Gavin said: "We teach boxing skills awards from pre-lim through to gold. It gives the kids an incentive to keep fit, play games and make friends."

The new courses, taught in six-week blocks, are proving popular, and on average 25 children and young people are taking part every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Gavin said: "The kids are loving it. Wayne Hatton at Bolsover District Council suggested we did the course, and I would recommend it to anybody.

"It's not really about boxing, but about kids interacting."