Indoor Champions, National XC and more.

Club members who were part of the successful Midlands Masters team. L to R - Dave Wilson, Elaine Ledden, David Jones, Brian Gravelsons, Paula Williams and Paul Hawkins Coaching and Officiating. Please don’t just ignore this and think it’s not relevant to you….if you, your child or family member is involved with Stratford upon Avon AC then it most certainly will be relevant.   As with all clubs in all sports SUAAC totally relies on volunteer support and as the club continues to grow and expand we need a constant flow of new volunteers to support the club’s activities. In the junior part of the club we work to a strict coach : athlete ratio primarily for welfare, safety and quality reasons for the children.   Becoming a volunteer coach or official is a great fun way of becoming involved in the club and the community. Whether you are a parent or family member wanting to get more involved with your children’s sport or an older athlete looking for a new dimension to your role in the sport, or have been inspired by seeing how other people have made a difference to young people’s lives, coaching and officiating has plenty to offer.   There’s a whole host of motivations why people become a coach or officiate in athletics, like giving something back to the community or the sport they and their children enjoy, the camaraderie and making new friends, to experiencing the sport from a different angle rather than just watching from the side lines.   We prefer to recruit our coaches and officials via members’ families or their associates, as the chances are we will already know them. If your child or family member is involved with SUAAC or even if the last time you wore a pair of trainers was in your school PE lesson you could become a valued athletics coach or official for the club. Incidentally the majority of people who get involved with the club have no particular knowledge or experience of athletics. All you would be required to do is go on a 1 or 2 day course and obtain a DBS for child protection. The club pays for all of this so there are no out of pocket expenses and coaches get a significantly reduced membership rate for their children. Why Coach? As a first step into helping at the club there is the Coaching Assistant qualification: Who could go on this course? Anyone aged 16 or over, who is interested in taking the first step into a coaching pathway and wants to understand the fundamental technical principles of coaching. How many days will it take? Two days (normally delivered over the course of one weekend) with no assessment. What will I learn? The technical coaching knowledge to underpin running, jumping and throwing activities. You’ll then learn how to apply these principles into a number of fun and exciting practical examples. What will I be able to do? By attending the Coaching Assistant…