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16 new coaches for Switzerland
Dave Gelling (ICC Europe coach) & Gareth Jones (UKCC Level 1)
Swiss cricket received a huge boost in January as sixteen new coaches qualified as UKCC Level 1 coaches. The new additions from six cities across Switzerland will raise standards at grass roots level and offer a brighter future for the sport. The new numbers also mean that after three short years, Switzerland now boasts 38 qualified coaches involved in junior cricket.
Two experienced ICC Europe coaches, Richard Cox and Dave Gelling, travelled to Zurich to tutor and assess a UKCC 1 Coaching Assistant course for the Swiss Cricket Association. A full compliment of 16 Swiss coaches arrived on Friday evening where, after a comprehensive SYC briefing headed by Richard Cox, there was a chance to introduce Module 1 to the group. A full day Saturday, mainly active in the newly refurbished Hottingen School sports halls, with groups having the opportunity to occasionally work in isolation, was completed after the Multiple Choice paper with, in more relaxed surrounds, a chance to chat to all the participants.
After the practice group coaching session early on Sunday morning, the candidates were fully tested with the SCA providing 32 keen youngsters in four groups for the Assessments. A busy, but successful weekend was rewarded by 16 candidates achieving a pass at this level, and several coaches were indentified as being capable of progressing quickly to the UKCC 2 Coach Award.
As one candidate put it: "Compressed into an intensive weekend, the guys were put through their paces by David Gelling and Richard Cox of ICC Europe. Despite the amount of information which needed to be absorbed, all were keen to glean as many tips as possible, and had fantastic fun at the same time. A big thank you to David and Richard for their guidance and enthusiasm all weekend."
A further thank you must go to the Swiss Cricket Association for funding the weekend. No doubt it will prove to be money well spent.
Summing up ,Dave Gelling stated that, "Altogether it was a highly rewarding visit with excellent organisation by Junior Development Officer Patrick Henderson and well supported by the committed coaches who took part in this course, producing 16 more qualified coaches able to develop cricket within Switzerland.”
Switzerland is now ready to send a full complement of 15-20 Level 1 coaches to the ECB Coach Award (UKCC 2) course in March/May, which will take place in Zurich. They will be joined by four coaches from Germany.
© Swiss Cricket Association
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