The New Zealand Football Senior Level 2/Youth Level 3 Coaching Award concluded its inaugural appearance at Massey University in Palmerston North on Sunday afternoon, with participants from across the Central Football Federation and beyond in attendance.

In a push to encourage higher coach education, New Zealand Football’s Steven Dillon (Coach Development Manager) and his team of Central Football representatives, conducted an intensive six-day advanced course stretching over a two-part period.

With the additional guidance of Hawke’s Bay United Coach Brett Angell and New Zealand Women’s U-17 coach Leon Birnie, participants were exposed to a breadth of experience that could be tapped into while navigating the course. Barry Scullion (Manawatu FDO) and Matthew Kilsby (Taranaki FDO) rounded up the team of supervisors, providing further assistance throughout.

As expected, the programme consisted of detailed theory in regards to coaching philosophy, conditioning, and the construction of tailored training sessions. However, this was not limited to the lecture theatre. Participants were challenged to critically evaluate their planning and coaching technique through practical demonstrations and by conducting their own carefully crafted training sessions.

Despite the programme offering a dense package of information, the practical elements of the course enabled critical details to be interpreted and reinforced through action. Reinforcement of theory through critique and interactive means is best described by participant Zane Bull (Levin AFC representative). “The course content itself is excellent, I have got out more than what I had expected. Steve and the coaches have done a great job at making us feel comfortable and providing extremely constructive feedback” he said. 

Palmerston North Marist Junior Coordinator, Belinda Warrington, commented on her desire to upskill as a coach and to ensure that she is prepared for the challenges of senior football coaching roles. Belinda also mentioned that she was pleased with the introduction of new coaching practice and theory. “The conditioning section was really good. I thought that it was great to develop an understanding of that area of coaching. It was great to learn to critically plan, prepare, define and design sessions” she added. 

Mikaela Boxall (Massey University Women’s Captain) was another female participant on the course who found significant value in the programme and hopes it can act as a successful development pathway for female coaches across the Central Football Federation. “I’ve always had an admiration for it [coaching] and I thought that it’s something I could find very rewarding, so why not give it a go? There’s been a couple of female coaches in the Manawatu, but it would be great if we could get more of us into it” she said.

Registrations for this course were not limited to aspiring coaches within the Central regions. WaiBop Youth Representative and Otumoetai Football Academy Coach Lewis Hart also decided to make the venture to Palmerston North. “I saw the benefits of coming outside of the region and learning from other coaches. So in that perspective, it’s been really beneficial for me because I’ve been able to learn different techniques. Every coach has their own ideas on how a group should be coached. It’s been really good for me and I’ve really enjoyed it”.

Upon completion of the six-day course, participants are now tasked with carrying out video assessments of their coaching procedures. These assessments will take place at varying stages over the coming months to accommodate the participant’s individual coaching schedules.

The Central Football Federation would like to thank Steven Dillon and New Zealand Football for managing the operations of this course and also Massey University – Manawatu campus for offering the use of their facilities.

A very special thank you must also go out to Sport Manawatu. Their continued support through Kiwi Sport funding reduced the financial burden for local coaches who participated in the programme. This commitment to coach education and development is greatly appreciated.

There can be reassurance that the benefits will filter down beyond the coaches directly involved and into all areas of grassroots football across the region. The course participants will now act as coach mentors at their respective clubs and aim to support other local grassroots coaches throughout their development. Central Football – Manawatu FDO Barry Scullion will offer his continued support as a Coach Developer to all of these newly assigned club based mentors.