Netball Jamaica (NJ) President Karen Rosen Baugh believes that coaching clinics are essential for developing coaches and promoting the sport at the grass roots level.

NJ held its Development Youth Summer Invitational from August 15 to 24, which included a coaching clinic led by Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls senior team Head Coach Sasha-Gaye Henry-Wright.

The clinic, now in its second year, targets coaches from primary and secondary schools, clubs, and communities, providing them with the opportunity to gain certification and enhance their coaching skills. The coaching clinic also had the likes of Marvett Anderson and Trician Griffiths, one of the island’s international umpires, as instructors as well.

“The coaching clinic, this is the second year we have done it and the idea is for grassroot coaches. If you are coaching at a high school or a preparatory school or a club, or a community and you want to start your journey to full certification then this workshop allows you to get a start,” Rosen Baugh told the Jamaica Observer during the presentation ceremony held at the Leila Robinson Courts in Independence Park on August 24.

Rosen Baugh said the three-day coaching session was well-received, with 15 participants completing the workshop and receiving certificates.

“Last year we had great feedback about the workshop and this year again it has been the same.We just want to keep on building this summer youth event both for the teams and the coaches to keep elevating. The clinic this year was good. We have presented all the participants with their certificate who have completed the coaching workshop,” she noted.

Rosen-Baugh emphasised the importance of certification.

“Eventually, now we want to get to the place where if you are going to be coaching in a school or a certain level you must have a minimum level of certification. We are not there yet, so this is the beginning and we want everybody to get their own certification and this opens opportunities for you locally and internationally,” explained Rosen Baugh.

She encouraged coaches and schools to take advantage of these workshops as with Netball Jamaica’s commitment to developing coaches and promoting the sport, the future of netball in Jamaica looks bright.

“So we want to encourage them that whenever we do put on these workshops we want coaches to just come in, for schools to send their coaches, for clubs, and communities to send their coaches to these workshops,” she said.

Hazel Bucknor, coach of Jonathan Grant High School, expressed her satisfaction with the recent Netball Jamaica coaching course.

“I feel good and the course was very informative. This thing about coaches being certified is really a good thing because you can impart more knowledge to the students that you are coaching,” she said.

Bucknor highlighted the benefits of learning from certified coaches, stating: “You learn more, you get more tips from the more certified coaches who are instructing us in the coaching course. She shared her own journey into coaching, which began after playing netball under the guidance of Ms Janet Guy.”

Bucknor’s teams have been performing well, consistently reaching the quarter-finals. She mentioned that her Under-19 team narrowly lost to Camperdown by three points, while her Under-16 team had close matches against St Hugh’s and St Catherine. Despite not advancing to the semi-finals, Bucknor said that her teams have shown promise and potential.

The coaching course has likely contributed to Bucknor’s growth as a coach and she appreciates the opportunity to enhance her skills and knowledge. With Netball Jamaica’s emphasis on certification, coaches like Bucknor are well-positioned to develop the next generation of netball players.

BUCKNOR…this thing about coaches being certified is really a good thing because you can impart more knowledge to the students that you are coaching (Photo: Naphtali Junior)