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Switzerland forges ahead with 20 new coaches
Robin McGhee
During the weekend of the 15th - 17th May an ECB Level 1 Coaches Course was held in Geneva with 20 candidates taking part from all corners of Switzerland. This was a record number of participants for such a course in Europe and is a reflection of the popularity of cricket in Switzerland and of the desire of those who love our great sport to put something back into it through coaching.
Ivo Favotto from the Cricket Coaching Association of Switzerland and Zurich Crickets CC, as part of his work with Patrick Henderson from the Swiss Cricket Association Youth Development Program, organized the Level 1 Coaches Course. GRYCC did a great job of organizing the training venues, which meant that the course could be held in the Geneva area rather than everyone having to travel to Zurich. As a result almost all the candidates were from the west of Switzerland this time.
As Scott Poynton said, “It was great that 7 of the 20 participants were from Gingins CC; no other Club had more representation than we did and that's something to be proud of I think. It certainly shows that our parents are really keen and are enthusiastic enough about the Club to spend their weekend participating in the course.”
The guest tutors for the weekend were Phil Knappett and Shahidul Alam. Phil is a senior coach with the ECB and at Middlesex and Shahidul has international coaching experience. They put the participants through their paces and introduced core coaching skills which will help develop youth cricket as well as help improve the level of coaching at club level.
The course was very practical in nature (there was also a written exam) and there were plenty of opportunities for the group to practice their coaching skills.
On the day of the assessment some of the GRYCC youth players were on hand to act as willing (and very capable) students, and after much hard work and some excellent coaching sessions Phil and Shahidul were able to pass all participants, which is excellent news for the ongoing development of cricket in Switzerland.
We were very lucky to have Phil and Shahidul as tutors and we are grateful to them for finding the time to come over. Thanks are also due to those who provided transportation and hospitality for our guests during the weekend and also to those who helped out with the arrangements on the days. We are also grateful for the support of the SCA.
Last but not least special thanks should go to Ivo Favotto who did a great job in putting the event together and making the arrangements.
Interestingly, since the course the Swiss media has shown more interest in Swiss cricket and junior cricket in particular. In his article Dan Johnson of Swisster writes that SCA head coach Robin McGhee is convinced the sport has a place in Switzerland, quoting player numbers edging past the 1,000 mark with 650 children and youths playing regularly and there are now over 50 qualified coaches who have come through the Swiss system.
Peter Nixon, president of the Cricket Coaches Association of Switzerland (CCAS), told Swisster that the coaching success was “a natural evolution” of the sport in Switzerland.
The next challenges are to introduce women’s cricket and push for success in the adult national team says McGhee. The first female coach in Switzerland received her qualification at the course in May and the Swiss national team is getting geared up for the Division 4 Championships, which take place in Cyprus in September, so we look forward to some progress in both these areas.
World Radio Switzerland also ran an interview with various representatives of the Swiss Youth Development Programme on June 2nd. It is clear junior cricket is alive and well in Switzerland and growing fast.
© Swiss Cricket Association
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