Head Coach

As Head Coach in your club, you will ensure that you set up and lead a vibrant coaching structure to assist players to improve their performances, arrange mentors to support coaches to progress to the level they aspire to and recruit new coaches.

Ideally, you’ll need to be:

  • Confident and good at communicating
  • As highly qualified, skilled and experienced as possible in terms of coaching
  • Willing to be Cricket Ireland Access NI/Garda Vetting checked

What you will probably do:

  • Set up an appropriate coaching structure for your club, based on its’ size and focus
  • Identify any gaps in the structure
  • Resolve gaps by encouraging coach development within your club
  • Monitor and maintain the highest standards in coaching and delivery, ensuring that current best practice is kept up with
  • Offer the club feedback on the organisation and degree of success of Junior Coaching and Competitions
  • Hold regular coach sub-committee meetings to discuss coaching progression, development or ongoing issues
  • Keep up to date with the Cricket Ireland Coach Education Programme
  • Advise coaches and potential coaches when and where appropriate coach education courses are taking place
  • Liaise with the Cricket Ireland Coach Education Officer and Coaches Association at Cricket Ireland and Provincial Union levels
  • Promote coach development opportunities to your club coaches
  • Liaise with your club Welfare Officer to ensure all coaches are Access NI/Garda Vetting checked and appropriate to coach, are aware of the new vetting and barring procedures and are Child Safeguarding and First Aid qualified
  • Liaise with your club Volunteer Coordinator to encourage older or ex players, parents and other volunteers to take up coaching
  • Develop links with neighbouring clubs and share good practice
  • Actively coach – organising, leading and delivering high quality player development sessions - leading a team or age group

How much time might it take?

This role in most cases will take between 3-4 hours per week, mainly in the evenings and weekends, with additional time for your active coaching and matches.

What you should get out of it:

This is arguably the most rewarding role within a club, once the coaching structure is fully in place and the players and coaches start to progress. You’ll be able to see the results of your efforts in the results of the players and the club as a whole.

Benefits of volunteering:

  • To learn new and develop existing skills through hands on experience
  • The possibility of personal and professional development and/or training
  • The ability to explore different sorts of career or job opportunities in a voluntary capacity
  • Working with a variety of different people of different ages
  • A chance to get out, have fun and meet some new people – enjoying the traditional social life that cricket clubs generate
  • Experiencing new challenges
  • Supporting your local community – putting something back into your community, personal satisfaction knowing you have helped others
  • The possibility of a written/verbal reference
  • A brilliant CV booster