Working in partnership with Kent Cricket, we have a unique opportunity for our young people to combine an outstanding education experience with a professional sports coaching programme.
The Kent Cricket Coaching Academy has been enabling students over the past year to develop a wide range of professional skills as well as the opportunity for enhancing their knowledge of the world of sport.
We spoke to some of this year’s students to see what they enjoy about this opportunity and what it has brought to their education.
Maizie Featherbee-Preston
Maizie joined our course and is enjoying the mix of practical and theory, as well as how it applies to all sports, such as barriers to sport and to increase participation.
She has loved being able to work with local primary schools to aid participation. Having not done much cricket before, she would recommend the course for its’s practical focus.
Speaking of her future goals and how the Academy has helped her, she says: “I want to go into coaching so this course has given me experience and key skills now that I will need to start my career. We regularly visit Kent Cricket to learn different coaching techniques that can apply to not just Cricket but a range of sports. It’s been great to put this into practice through social action projects with primary schools.”
Daniel Howarth
Daniel is really enjoying his time working with Kent Cricket, and loves the fact that each session is unique, with each day presenting new challenges and goals.
He chose this course as it matches up with his desired career route in the future, which is teaching sport to individuals and helping them grow their confidence through this.
Speaking about what he particularly likes about the practical side, Daniel said: “We’ve been able to get both sides of sporting through the coaching sessions and the coursework prep with theory. Each session has been very different as we have different activities during the year to help us with the aspect of coaching younger students. I feel like I’ve grown my skills in ways that I never could have imagined before coming to College.”
Oliver Gibb
Oliver joined our Kent Cricket Coaching Academy after gaining an interest in the sport through playing for Deal Victoria and Barns Close Cricket Club.
Initially, Oliver wasn’t as confident when playing Cricket, and wouldn’t get involved outside the matches, but is now thriving in social aspects and on the course activities.
He has been instrumental in helping primary school children that we work with learn new sports such as pickleball and handball.
Speaking about what he has gained from the course, Oliver said: “I’ve improved on my physical fitness and coaching through this course. Although I wasn’t very confident when I joined and wouldn’t get involved as much, the course has helped me learn so much, which has really encouraged me to get involved more outside College. We coach local primary school children at Kent Cricket and as I work with a similar age in Deal, I can take the skills I’ve learnt and develop my coaching standards further. “
Amy Dixon
Amy wants to become a teacher and The Kent Cricket Coaching Academy has helped her develop key skills and practices for this career path. She is now confident in herself and has taken part in experiences that she didn’t think were possible.
Through practical sessions with local schools, she has been able to figure out how she works best as a teacher and how she can have the most impact possible to gain the best outcome from students. She has also been looking into different leadership styles throughout her time with us.
Speaking to us about her highlight of the course, Amy said: “I think going to the University of Kent and testing out their sports facilities has been a real highlight for me as I’ve been able to see where my career choices will take me. There were different ways to test fitness and BMI and a few of us even volunteered to test our endurance on specialist exercise bikes, which was really interesting. The opportunities I’ve had through this course have been invaluable and I love how my entire class has been able to come together and work as one giant team.”
Our Kent Cricket Coaching Academy is dedicated to teaching the next generation of athletes and ensuring they gain expert knowledge they need. Students in the year also get to work with current players and trainers and make use of the dedicated facilities at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
If you’re inspired by our students’ stories, why not apply for The Kent Cricket Coaching Academy today?
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