30/08/2026
A basketball course probably isn’t where you’d expect to find me on a Sunday but thats what my Sunday was spent doing… 😂
Today I got to learn from Laura, Basketball Ireland’s Development Officer for the North West, highly experienced coach, facilitator and someone involved in their U14 and U15 Academies.
I don’t coach basketball. I went because I want to keep learning.
Laura and I have also spent the last couple of years training through Sport Ireland to become Coach Developers within our own sports, basketball for Laura and Gaelic football for me.
And it has been challenging.
Study, assignments, practical delivery, observations, reflection, feedback... and we still have our final assessment ahead of us before we can achieve our QQI Level 7 in Coach Development and eventually become fully qualified Coach Developers.
There are no shortcuts with this one.
And maybe that’s what I’ve come to appreciate most.
Coaching is a skill in its own right.
The more time I spend studying it, practising it and learning from people like Laura, the more respect I have for just how much time and energy goes into being a good coach and coach developer.
So today, I happily felt like a beginner in the room. Its been 15 years since I played basketball so this is what I did:
I listened. I watched. I asked questions. I learned.
I felt comfortable not being an expert in basketball today and because I was open to learning from all the other coaches I came home a better coach than I was this morning.
That, for me, is what coach development is really about. 🙌
Really enjoyable day thanks to Laura and to the fantastic hosts in Ballinrobe for a great day.
Delighted to be receiving my introduction to basketball certificate, who knows, I might be slam dunking it on the court soon 😜😜
