“BUILDING A COACHING COMMUNITY IN OCEANIA”
By Debbie Strange – Facilitator of the OTFCA Coaches Clubs at the Pacific Games 2023
OTFCA held its inaugural Coaches Club sessions at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands with over 25 coaches from 4 different countries attending.
OTFCA has always welcomed coaches from sports other than athletics to participate in their activities as it is recognized that we can learn a lot from other sports. Coaches from 5 ‘individual’ sports such as, triathlon, badminton, table tennis, bodybuilding and archery attended the Coaches Club sessions alongside the athletics coaches which further enriched sessions.
The sessions centered on the theme of “BUILDING A COACHING COMMUNITY IN OCEANIA” and allowed coaches many opportunities to interact, discuss and share coaching situations in small group discussions with feedback later to larger group. Coaches often became animated especially when talking about the many ‘challenges’ they experienced in their coaching role.
Frustrations with National Federations in team selections, facilities and equipment, support and recognition of coaches were common themes raised throughout sessions. Many coaches felt that they were not listened to by their Federations and that they needed strong mentorship to continue their development.
OTFCA is grateful to SINIS led by Aaron Alsop and his coaching staff for providing the venue and support, and the Kitchen Team led by Alfred and Ava who assisted in providing food and soft drinks. European Athletics Coaches Association led by Frank Dick supported the Coaches Clubs at the Pacific Games.
The value of holding Coaches Club sessions was voiced by many, even coaches that could not attend sessions in the Solomon Islands due to other team commitments, as they provided informal opportunities for coaches to communicate with others and voice their issues and opinions. Many coaches realized that they were not alone in their coaching and had support and with ideas from others to help try to overcome the obstacles they felt prevented them being effective coaches.
Following the successful inaugural Coaches Clubs at the Pacific Games 2023, preparations are now underway for similar sessions to be held at the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji 2024.
OTFCA will continue to build a strong “COACHING COMMUNITY IN OCEANIA”.
