Cricket West Indies (CWI) just concluded two important sessions as part of continued efforts to improve its role in coaching education.

The Level 3 course was the second one in the region; the first was held in Barbados in 2016. A total of 25 regional coaches participated in the course including former Windies players Curtly Ambrose, Stuart Williams, Ryan Hinds and Pedro Collins.

The course focused on equipping the coaches with the technical and soft skills to develop performance and elite players. Coaches were reminded that they have a responsibility towards the athletes. They were given guidelines to develop management styles, leadership qualities and communication channels with their players. The sessions were a mixture of practical and theoretical learning, with focus on sports science, strength and conditioning and psychology.

The course was led by the ECB with eight coaches; while four coaches from the West Indies (Gus Logie, Henderson Springer, Anthony Gray and Jeffrey Dujon) co-presented on fast and spin bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping.

The coaches for the course came from Jamaica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Coaches from Canada, Bermuda (ICC Americas) also participated, as part of CWI’s commitment to ICC America’s cricket development. West Indies Players’ Association also had a representative in the course.

Tim Dellor, operations manager of the ECB’s Level 3 coaching programme and facilitator of this course in Antigua said, “First of all, I always think it’s important that they enjoy it…. We also tried to give them opportunities to actually coach whilst we’re with them…. So they can go out and practise that.”

At the end of the course, the coaches were given assignments to complete. They will complete these in their respective home countries and then reassemble for a final assessment to complete the course in February 2018.

Upon completion, Level 3-certified coaches from the region will be able to work as recognised Level 3 coaches in the UK.

The course ran for 10 days and ended on Wednesday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

LEVEL ONE

Another 10 coaches from around the region and St Maarten completed a Level 1 programme. The course was facilitated by Junie Mitchum, Kumar Rampat and Steve Liburd.

The 10 coaches would have previously been trained in first aid, certified in the CWI/UNICEF Child Protection Courses and have a clean police record.