"We never seem to have a coach"
"We have the occasional willing volunteer but they’re not qualified"
"We’d like to run more sides, but we can’t find enough coaches"
"Getting more juniors would be much easier if we had good junior coaches"
"The coaches we have got get nothing for their efforts"

These are familiar statements for many rugby clubs. Identifying, recruiting, training, supporting and rewarding coaches is one of the most challenging issues facing clubs. So what can be done? This paper gives some general advice and tips, with pointers to further information and support.

Where to start
Firstly, decide exactly what your club needs and what you want to achieve, e.g., coaches for which sides?

Which is your priority?
• Identifying and encouraging existing club members to become qualified coaches?
• Improving the qualifications and standards of existing coaches?
• Recruiting new coaches from outside the club?

Also, decide what roles you want your coaches to fill
• Motivate players? (Individually or as a team?)
• Improve specific technical aspects of the game?
• Act as a mentor?
• Organise transport, kit, fixtures, equipment?
• Deal with everything, from collecting subscriptions to organising the Christmas party?

Unfortunately, this section cannot help you find superhuman coaches. You should try to be realistic about what you expect from a coach, and build a management team around him/her. Coaches will have a longer shelf life if they can concentrate solely on coaching their side. The final requirements will be very different according to the level of the team within the club.

Who can help?
First and foremost the club must seek help from within – if no one is forthcoming from the club itself there may be little chance of attracting an outsider – unless the club is prepared to pay remuneration, and this is likely only at first team level.

When you have set out your club’s requirements and expectations, contact your County Rugby Development Officer (RDO). An important part of the RDO’s job is to provide opportunities for new coaches to become qualified and encourage qualified coaches to progress. They will help coaches to become involved in a range of courses.

Each County or Constituent Body (CB), also has a CB Coaching Co-ordinator (CBCC), who is responsible for managing, advertising and promoting all the coaching courses run within the CB.

A list of RDOs is attached in the Contacts Section.

Other agencies that can help your club include:
• Sports Coach UK, formerly the National Coaching Foundation (NCF), supports coaches through its education programme.
• Local authorities often have specific support services for coaches - contact your local leisure department.

What next?
There are a number of things you can do to help identify, recruit, train and give ongoing support to coaches at your club. The following issues are especially important to consider:

Identification and Recruitment
Mount a promotional campaign at your club and other local clubs in conjunction with your RDO to identify and encourage existing club members to attend coaching courses.

Create a positive environment and profile for all those involved in coaching. (At Mini/Midi, a Level III course is soon to be introduced; this will create coaching co-ordinators within your club to help new coaches progress and qualify).

Ensure that potential coaches are directed to the right level of course to meet their differing needs.

When appointing or recruiting new coaches, (especially outsiders), it is important to check their suitability and experience:

• find out about their past career
• check their qualifications
• ask for a CV and two written references and follow them up
• ensure they have adequate insurance cover, if they do not hold a RFU qualification.

It may not be possible to undertake police checks, but it is normal for coaches to have to provide an up-to-date Enhanced Criminal Record Certificate.

Qualifying and Developing
Through your RDO or CBCC, ensure your coaches are aware of all the coaching courses available to share knowledge, improve their qualifications and gain further experience. The details of rugby specific courses can also be obtained from the RFU.

Courses include:
1. Foundation Courses for real beginners, (non-assessed);
2. Level I Courses for people with a couple of years experience of playing or coaching, (assessed);
3. Level II Courses for Level I holders or people with strong accredited prior learning, (assessed).

All these courses are specially designed in three age group formats:
1. Mini/Midi – for those working with 7 – 12 year olds;
2. Youth – for those working with 13 – 19 year olds;
3. Adult – for those working with adult players.

As well as these assessment courses there are a number of less formal, non-assessed information courses – once again see your local RDO (see Contacts Section)

Conduct
All coaches at your club should be aware of how they are expected to conduct themselves during training and matches. Many clubs have established codes of conduct for their coaches, which include items such as the need to:

• consider the safety of players at all times
• ensure that junior sessions are appropriate to the age of players involved
• promote fair play
• eradicate racism and sexism from the sport
• display high standards of behaviour and appearance
• never exert undue influence over performers
• never condone law violations or the use of prohibited substances.

You should decide how you wish your coaches to behave and state very clearly (preferably in a written code of conduct) what is expected so that complaints can be dealt with more efficiently.

Perhaps even more appropriate is to acquire copies of the RFU Fair Play Codes.

These have been written for all people involved in Mini and Youth rugby.

Further information
Active Club Pack (Sport England, 2000)
Successful Coach: guidelines for coaching practice (National Coaching Foundation, 1999)
Coaching Cards Practice Organiser (National Coaching Foundation, 1999)
Successful Coaching-Updated, (Rainer Martens, 1996)

Sports Coach UK (formerly NCF)
114 Cardigan Road, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3BJ
Tel: (0113) 2744802 Email: fhs@sportscoachuk.org

The RFU has a resource library which includes articles, books and videos, (all soon to be enhanced by CD-ROM). A selection of which are listed below (for the full list please contact the RFU Coaching Development Department).

Working with Children
Start Rugby
Improve your Players Performance
Coaches Handbooks for Foundation, Level I, and Level II (all of these exist in each of the age group formats mentioned above)