Collaboration and community at the heart of coaching pathway changes

Squash coaches will benefit from an increased focus on collaboration and a stronger “community” of colleagues as part of changes to England Squash’s coaching education pathway, according to Millie Tomlinson, the world no.63 and one of three coach developers in the East Midlands.

The coaching education pathway is currently undergoing redevelopment in order to better support coaches in their diverse working environments and deliver a broader range of content and upskilling opportunities.

As part of the change, all qualifications have adopted a hybrid model, incorporating practical workshops alongside online modules, while in November, England Squash partnered with e-learning provider eCoach to create an innovative online learning system to support the delivery of high quality digital resources.

Earlier this year, the Coach Developer Network was expanded to enhance face-to-face delivery of sessions and provide more localised opportunities on the coach education pathway. There are now 24 coach developers across the eight regions.

Tomlinson said:

“England Squash are doing everything they can to try and empower coaches and improve the infrastructure – it’s a really exciting time.

“One of the ideas behind [the redevelopment] is definitely to give more practical opportunities to coaches. And there’ll be better resources, more courses for coaches to go on, and more accessible online courses which take away the hurdle of actually having to go on a course in person.

“As a coach developer, I’ll be delivering coaching workshops - both online and in person, mentoring coaches, and offering feedback and support on the coaching pathway. As a professional player and someone who’s coached abroad, that will hopefully give me fresh ideas. I’ve been on both sides of the coaching relationship, so I can offer advice on bridging that gap between the theory and its application.

“But the key focus of these changes is making coaches feel more supported. We’re trying to create a more collaborative approach so we can all work together and share ideas, share advice, and develop a stronger coaching community throughout England.”

On why clubs and coaches should be excited by these developments, she added: “It can only be a good thing for squash if we drive this forward and I want to encourage as many people as possible to get into coaching.

“Like everything in life, if people work together, share ideas, and push each other forwards, it creates better practice. No coach is perfect, and we can all learn from each other – the collaborative element [of the coach education pathway] is so important. And the more diverse coaches we have, the more different and fresh ideas we’ll have.”

Coach pathway changes - further reading

England Squash expands Coach Developer Network to boost nationwide support

England Squash teams up with eCoach to accelerate coaches’ development

Increased support and diversity at the heart of new coaching education pathway