A pilot Rangatahi Coaching pilot was recently held in Whangarei with the overall aim of sport codes and secondary schools collaborating to develop more passionate, excited, and confident coaches in Northland; supporting schools in need of coaches; and ensuring more quality experiences for youth in sport.

With just over 100 students from five schools (Huanui College, Whangarei Girls High School, Renew School, Tikipunga High School, and Kamo High School) and eight Regional Sports Organisations (RSOs) within the Northland Sports Coalition (Hockey, Cricket, Netball, Parafed, Rugby, Touch, Football, and Volleyball – alongside Sport Northland); all worked together to create this new opportunity for Secondary School students.

The morning session covered the ‘WHY/HOW’ of coaching with Shaun Matthews, Coach Developer at Volleyball New Zealand. Throughout the session, there were many important learnings including;

• Reflection and discussion of their coaching role model, answering the all-important question – what makes a good coach?
• The importance of team culture and how to create it
• Understanding the people we coach
• An important section with Anna Hewitt from Parafed Northland, who explained the four categories of disability, and introduced the STEP model to help coaches adapt their training for all types of skill levels and abilities
• The fundamentals of the practical application of coaching – how to be an effective coach!

After lunch, the group split off into code-specific groups, and Sport Developers from each RSO had just under two hours to run the student coaches through some of the ‘WHAT’ of coaching. “It was awesome to see students breaking down skills and having a go at teaching others in the group” says Ellie Eastwood, Sport Northland’s Regional System Connector and coordinator of the pilot.

Overall, feedback from the students was extremely positive – check out the short video here and hear the rangatahi themselves give expression to what they enjoyed most.

These students are now part of a database where they have access to a range of coaching resources, and their RSO Coach Developer will aim to remain in contact with them to ensure they continue getting the support they need to grow as coaches. Following the success of this pilot, we hope more sport codes will jump on board, so students can have a wider range to select from.

Eastwood concludes that “we are so excited to see the rangatahi continue to progress. This is an incredible example of the collective work that takes place within the Northland Sports Coalition. Collaborating to work towards the greater good and create quality experiences for youth in sport.”

How can you help?  Please encourage and support our rangatahi positively so that they have a good time and keep wanting to coach.  They are learning and wanting to make it a good experience for your tamariki.

Article written by Ellie Eastwood, Sport Northland's Regonal System Connector