Huge interest in coaching course 

Close to 60 aspiring coaches are attending a sport coaching short course presented by the Namibia Coaches Commission at the University of Namibia (Unam) this week.

The course, funded by Olympic Solidarity and the Namibian government, generated huge interest with over 300 applications. However, due to limited funding, only 58 applicants could be accommodated.

The course was built around the needs of Namibian Coaches Commission coaches and includes topics like safeguarding and ethical practises in sport, designing and delivering practical coaching lessons, clean sport and environmental responsibility, sport for development, mental training and athlete readiness, and periodisation and training load management.

According to course facilitator Cilas Wilders, the course, presented in collaboration with the Namibia Olympic Committee and the Namibia Sport Commission, covers the fundamentals of coaching.

“We have an approach where we generalise coaching principles starting with a coaching philosophy and we also look carefully into ethics and the safeguarding of our athletes,” he says.

“It’s important for us to support our 58 registered federations and our umbrella bodies registered with the Namibia Sport Commission, from a scientific point of view. I would say our philosophy is ‘coaching is an art and you must do it from the heart’ and that is the logo for this course. Next year we plan to do a follow-up where we go more into the scientific components,” he adds.

According to Wilders the course includes theoretical and practical sessions, the fundamental principles of training, how to prevent injuries, the mental preparedness of athletes and how to prevent burn-out and stress. The participants even fabricated their own sport equipment from waste materials.

Other aspects include providing information on scientific testing and evaluation of players, ethical issues and how to protect the data of athletes, as well as legal, marketing and funding aspects.

The course will be concluded tomorrow when the participants will receive their certificates in fundamental coaching, endorsed by the Unam.

Wilders adds that Unam will present a three-year sport coaching degree from next year onwards.

“We are excited about that and we are in the process of the final adjustments and qualification approval of it. The degree will equip our coaches, from a scientific point of view, with the principles of coaching. Our coaches will become compliant with international regulations and requirements,” he says.

“People will not have to be full-time students; they can do the course part-time, and as a university we are very excited to have partners in South Africa who will work alongside us,” he adds.

Coaching is a big sacrifice – Ballotti

Deputy minister of sport Dino Ballotti paid a surprise visit yesterday, encouraging participants by sharing recollections from his time as a football coach.

“At the age of 21 I was head coach of Ramblers, which was still in the Premier League back then, so it was an honour for me to coach a Premier League team at such a young age. But I got fired, as all coaches do – you’re not a coach if you don’t get fired – and we even came third that year,” he said.

“I knew if we didn’t win that game, I was going to be fired, and that’s how it happened – in the changing room after the game. But one of my proudest moments came later with coach Bobby Samaria when we won the league with Tigers,” he added.

Ballotti highlighted the endless hours of sacrifice coaches have to make.

“I was coaching Young Ones and I remember the field was only available form 21h00 to 22h30, so after our training sessions I would use my father’s bakkie and drop my players at various stops, and I’d only get home close to midnight. But we didn’t complain because we were fully vested, and we wanted to be successful as coaches,” he said.

“I can tell you many stories – like sitting at the hospital late at night with a player with a broken leg, but you don’t leave your player, you sit with your player, because that’s what coaches do. I think today is not just telling you about my journey, it’s also about appreciating yourselves as coaches, because in my view, coaches sacrifice more than almost any other occupation,” he added.

Ballotti called on the participants to take the course seriously and to plough their knowledge back into Namibian sport.

“Many people wanted to be where you are sitting today. So I think as the first intake, it’s a privilege, but you should not take it for granted. I don’t want to see 50% of you all becoming chairpersons and administrators – there’s nothing wrong with that, but we want coaches to remain coaches,” he said.

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