Tony Jolly is the lead Coach Tutor for England and an experienced head coach of a large Triathlon club. He gives us an insight into what a club head coach does and some of the challenges associated with being a head coach of a club.

So what does a club head coach really do?

For most clubs year round training sessions for members is the lifeblood of the club, take the training sessions away and you’d have problems.  These sessions are what people usually initially join for, but also become a semi-social focus around which club identities are established.  The stronger the club’s training programme the more vibrant and successful the club is likely to be.

On face value it’s pretty simple, book a few lanes in a pool, get a coach to deliver a session, and repeat at the running track, add in an informal Sunday ride and job done.   A low key approach like this can work for many clubs when they start off, but as they grow, so often do the options, and problems.  Even finding pool space can be an issue in itself. 

It can soon become a big job to organise and manage a number of sessions at different venues with different coaches, organising cover when coaches can’t make it and planning what happens at sessions.  Then just when you think you’ve got it all sorted two of your coaches leave, and you have to find new ones.

Finding the right coaches is not always easy either, there are lots of good coaches coming through the system these days, but coaching isn’t a one size fits all role.  There are a multitude of different skills, coaching styles and philosophies out there, and while the majority are good, some may not fit your club.  A great coach for 8-12 year olds may not be well suited to coaching a group of experienced long distance athletes, or vice versa.  Developing and training your existing coaches and holding onto the good ones becomes a key skill for head coaches.

Often as a club grows, so does the need for other supporting roles within the club, usually committee members, and over time the ethos and culture of a club may change.  Being aware of this, and being able to communicate effectively and negotiate with key stakeholders within the club can be a time consuming, but nevertheless important and rewarding task. Again more for a head coach to do.

In recent years many club’s have grown, and are making valuable contributions to being inclusive. The days of a small group of battle hardened athletes being the only members are fading fast, and a much wider cross section of the community is joining and taking part.  With this in mind coaching has to consider the social side of training and a greater focus on health and safety has crept up the agenda.  Head coaches now need to consider how to put into practice a safe and welcoming environment where the whole coaching team acts in a best practice manner.

So what does a head coach need to be able to do, the list includes but certainly isn’t limited to:
• Source and manage training sessions;
• Design an appropriate training plan for the variety of needs of members;
• Source, lead, develop and retain a team of coaches;
• Manage club wide health and safety approach;
• Manage conflict and resolve issues;
• Build relationships both inside and outside of a club and drive a development plan forward.

For the resourceful coach there is a lot of knowledge out there in the wider community on how to tackle many of these issues, but often the experience of how to do it is learned the hard way through trial and error and in isolation. 

Having a workshop which focussed solely on the needs, knowledge and skills required to be a head coach, which encouraged coaches to build a sustainable regional communities of like-minded people, who could discuss and help resolve each other’s issues off the back of it would be a great first port of call.  If only there was a workshop like that available….

If you are interested in taking part in British Triathlons Club Head Coach workshop you can find out more HERE.