The Coaching Gig Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kyle McLean
We talk to people from the sporting world to understand how we as coaches can foster awesome sporting experiences for our people.
Brad Cooper currently serves as the assistant coach for the Taranaki Bulls, who secured victory in the NPC in 2023. Additionally, he has recently been appointed as the coach for the New Zealand U20 Men's rugby team and is also the Coach Development Manager at Taranaki Rugby. Coops has come through the coaching ranks, gaining experience coaching club, representative, and secondary school teams.
I have got to know Coops well over the past few years with the work I have done with Taranaki Rugby. He's a real good bugger - humble, hard working, open to learning. It's always good to share notes and learn from him. It has been so awesome seeing a man of his character climb through the coaching ranks.
We yarned about:
- The Taranaki Bulls winning season - 'Creating Memorable Experiences'
- Differences coaching adults v youth
- His NZ U20 role
- Coach Development
- And more....
Taranaki Rugby have been in partnership with the IntaSport coaching app since 2022. They're 'inta' sport - Are you? Click here for more details: https://www.intasport.org/
Meet Mike Hester, the Participation Development Manager at New Zealand Rugby, tasked with the pivotal role of evolving the game to sustain interest and involvement in rugby. Balancing the weight of tradition with the evolving needs of today's youth and society, Mike faces the challenge head-on, charting a course for the sport's future.
In our yarn, Mike peels back the layers, revealing the reasoning behind some of New
Zealand Rugby's decisions around game modifications. As coaches and
administrators, we often lack this crucial insight into the 'why' behind the
changes. This yarn sheds light on the rationale behind modifications aimed at
boosting engagement. I, for one, am a fan of adaptations that help increase
engagement and joy in rugby / sport. I hope this discussion offers invaluable
clarity to fellow enthusiasts in the rugby and indeed sporting community.
We discussed:
- His role and why it exists
- Changes to tackle height and the outcomes
- Changes to Small Blacks rugby including 10 aside for U11s and future changes that are coming.
- And more…
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it.
This yarn with Sean Graham is a great listen for leaders in the youth sports arena seeking innovative strategies to captivate and involve young athletes in the world of sports. Sean is Director of Rugby at St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Queensland, Australia. Picture this: 800 boys, 40 teams, and 100 coaches—talk about a big scale rugby operation! Sean oversees the programme, breathing fun, connection and development for everyone.
Sean’s has also masterminded the Youth Rugby Coaches Forum, an annual event (mark your calendars for January 19th and 20th, 2024) aimed at supercharging the youth game. What started as a spark of an idea has now become a gathering of 250 rugby coaches, and a swag of presenters, all set on making the game stronger.
We talk about:
- The joys and challenges of leading a programme of this scale
- How Nudgee manages to engage so many teenage rugby players
- The Youth Rugby Coaches Forum
- And more…
Cheers Grimley
Here is a LINK to Youth Rugby Coaching Forum
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download.
Ray Everest served as the Weightlifting coach for New Zealand at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, transitioning into the sport after falling into it while living in Doha. A former school teacher turned principal at the age of 26, Ray and his wife Courtney, established the Future Focus Early Childhood Centre, which has now expanded to 5 Centres, employing approximately 80 staff in the Papamoa region.
Connecting with Ray is always a pleasure due to his remarkable growth mindset. As a deep thinker, avid learner, and profoundly reflective individual, he consistently rides the growth train. Ray's insights are valuable for both coaches and individuals in the business world, showcasing how he has successfully applied his learning to excel in sports, business, and family life. All while being a hardcore Warriors fan throughout – Up the Wahs.
We discussed:
- Weightlifting coaching – navigating the path in a new sport, the coach's role, and the dynamics of individual versus team sports.
- Setting people up to cope
- Starting a business and scaling it – getting big but staying small.
- Leadership – guiding people through the journey, adapting, and fostering personal and collective growth.
- And more…
“Does our environment reflect out aspiration?”
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.
Kane Jury serves as the Talent Development Manager at the Highlanders Super Rugby franchise, where he is responsible for overseeing talent identification, recruitment, and the development of the academy program. Additionally, he recently completed his second year as the head coach of the NZ Secondary Schools Boys rugby team. Prior to this, he coached various teams, including the Fiji Men’s 7s, Black Ferns Development 7s, and Otago Spirit, among others. Kane also gained experience in club rugby and held positions as Director of Rugby and Sports Coordinator at Kings High School in Dunedin.
My connection with Kane dates back to our time as Scarfies in the early 2000s, and more recently, we reconnected in the coach development space, particularly in rugby 7s. Kane exhibits a deep passion for the development of young individuals and is committed to providing enriching experiences for aspiring athletes.
Reconnecting with Kane was a pleasure, and our conversation delved into various topics related to the post-school space. We discussed:
- His responsibilities at the Highlanders.
- Insights and lessons from his two-year tenure in the NZSS role, with a focus on bringing themes to life.
- His experiences coaching the Fijian Men’s 7s team, including some noteworthy anecdotes.
- And more.
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.
Pablo is the Mental Skills and Skills Coach for the Yacare XV who play in the Super Rugby Americas League. He also coaches the Paraguay Women's 7's team on their quest to make the HSBC World Series.
We have connected over the past few years, after first meeting in New Zealand. He has an exceptional thirst for knowledge and amazing growth mindset. He puts his 'heart on the plate' in a truly authentic manner to connect with people around him.
I particularly loved his take on 'brain friendly sessions' and how our survival instinct relies on connection with other people. It's a timely reminder to invest time into environments that foster human connection, especially in a world where connection is often digitalised.
We chatted about:
- Brain Friendly Sessions - safe, curiosity, humour, surprise, emotions.
- The power of humour / laughing.
- Building identity.
- Authenticity, vulnerability.
- And more...
Find or connect with Pablo on instagram HERE
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.
Russell (Rusty) Earnshaw is a world leader in the coaching / coach development space. He is a former professional rugby player, representing many clubs and teams including Bath and England 7's. He later went on to coach the England 7's, England U18's and U20's rugby teams.
He is the co-founder of The Magic Academy (www.themagicacademy.co.uk) and currently consults for a number of teams and sporting organisations. He is deeply passionate about coaching, people and sport and is doing hit bit to move things forward. "Help people to help themselves."
A quote from his website - "I like Russell Earnshaw, he treads a fine line between genius and nutcase." He is an innovative thinker who thrives on changing the game and predicting the future. The backs of my ears and stomach muscles hurt after talking with Rusty, due to all the laughing. It was so much fun.
We chatted about:
- How to foster an environment of ownership (and why).
- How to develop 'skillful, adaptable players.'
- Gamification / Video Game Design in the sporting context.
- Much more...
Find Rusty at The Magic Academy or on Twitter.
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.
Michael Magriplis (affectionally known as Grips) is Head of Community Coaching at Rugby Australia. He oversees the direction of coaching in Australia in collaboration with the 8 Members Unions.
He is on a mission where all players get a quality coaching experiences, where there is the right training, right environment and right support. He is big on game-based coaching and is heading the direction of coaching in Australia down an innovative, exciting path.
He was the first person to highlight to me the '3 steps of coaching' (listen to find out more) and inspired this following blog Keep it REAL - Realistic, Enjoyable, Active, Learning, which is a great acronym for coaches of all levels to nail.
IntaSport App
And now to highlight a key partner of The Coaching Gig - IntaSport. IntaSport have created the FREE coaching App to help the volunteer coaches out there survive and thrive. Click HERE to download it for FREE.
Charissa Barham (affectionally known as Reecy) has approximately 30 years coaching experience across many levels, including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball team. She is deeply passionate about youth sport and enabling youth / player voice to help frame their experience. A lot of coaches value player-centered approaches, where Reecy has a tangible and sustainable way of bringing this approach to life to become the heart-beat of teams she coaches.
Reecy is currently a Sport Consultant for Sport New Zealand, where she works with Regional and National sporting organisations to help foster quality sporting experiences that meet the needs and motivations of young people. It's always a pleasure connecting with Reecy, where there are plenty of laughs, D&M's and poems / raps. We yarned about...
- A life of service through coaching.
- The joys and complexities of coaching teenagers.
- How to use player voice to frame a season - tangible examples of engaging and implementing.
- Building leadership in young people.
- Her role as a Sport Consultant for Sport NZ.
- And more...
Nigel Hotham has been the mastermind behind Hamilton Boys High School Rugby, Touch and 7s programmes for the past 20 years. There is not likely a school or coach in the country (maybe the world) who has tasted as much success as in the Secondary School space. To list the number of National Titles would fill this entire blurb.
He is a humble man who has given a good 3 decades of service to young men, not only in sport, but with his role as Deputy Principal. It was great talking with Nigel to unpack why there has been so much success at Hamilton Boys and how he has managed to stay motivated and excited to coach young men over that time.
We chatted about:
- His coaching journey
- Ideas to bring successful on-field results
- How his coaching approach has changed over the years
- What he is currently seeing with teenagers of this era
- How he connects with individuals within a team sport
- When to give 10 jabs v a slap in the face (FYI - this is a metaphor)
- And more
Victoria Grant has just recently been named Head Coach of the Hurricanes Poua for the upcoming Super Rugby Aupiki 2023. She has also coached the New Zealand Mens Under 20s, NZ Black Ferns 7s Development, NZ U18 Girls 7s, Bay of Plenty Women's 7s, and currently her local Premier Men's Club team, Rotoiti. She just loves it, where she genuinely coaches for the love of people and the game.
Formally Victoria played for and captained both the Black Ferns 15s and 7s rugby teams (including winning a couple of World Cups). She is also a trained physiotherapist, where she manages to balance running a private practice, being a wonderful mother and wife, alongside fulfilling her passion of coaching. It's always great to connect with Tors.
We yarned about...
- The context of coaching the Hurricanes Poua and other High-Performance teams remotely.
- Enhancing opportunities for female coaches.
- Framing connection, purpose, belonging.
- Her perspective on coaching women and men, similarities and differences.
- The challenges of providing feedback, both formal and informal.
- The power of coaching one campaign at a time.
- Other bits and bobs.
Jesse Rawlings is head of the Pre-Academy with the Wellington Phoenix Football Club (New Zealand’s sole professional Football Club). He brings a fresh approach to how Youth Academies run, where he keeps the players journey as the focus, rather than that of the coaches. He is an absolute sport nut, where he lives and breathes it, noting that he used to pick ‘form team of the week’ for cricket, rugby and football at the age of 6! Legend.
He has also recently finished his Master’s research analysing Junior Sport Development Programmes in New Zealand. He engaged with Rugby, Football, Netball and Hockey codes to gain a better understanding of how youth sport could look and feel.
He’s a top man with an awesome outlook on coaching and sport. We talked about:
- Phoenix Academy – what’s the purpose, why does it exist.
- The philosophy of the Academy. How it is different to some overseas programmes.
- How schools / clubs / coaches could adopt similar principles.
- Research into Junior Sport Development Programmes (Link to thesis). Why sports are opting for smaller-sided playing frameworks, that have a focus on player engagement and skill-development.
- More tangents of course.
Leigh Gibbs is an absolute legend in Netball and New Zealand sporting circles. She played 61 tests for the Silver Ferns (NZ National team), including captaining the team to win the 1987 World Champs. She then coached the Silver Ferns as both a Head Coach and Assistant Coach, where the team won the 2003 World Champs and 2006 Commonwealth Games. in 2001 Leigh was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, due to services to Netball.
She has dedicated much of her life servicing the sport and has a deep passion for coaching and people. She is humble, inquisitive, and has a strong thirst for new learning. Leigh is currently the Coach Development Manager for Netball New Zealand, as well as being a selector for the Silver Ferns. It was a delight yarning to Leigh on a range of topics including:
- Her experience coaching the Silver Ferns.
- What she has learnt from coaching at the highest level and applications to youth coaching.
- "A rising tides, lifts all the boats" - The power of collaboration - both with coaches and players.
- Player-centered coaching approaches, including questioning and relational skills.
- Game-based coaching - drills might 'prove' stuff, where games will 'improve' stuff.
- Much more...
Dave Dillon is the newly appointed coach for the Highlanders rugby team. He has also coached others professional teams including Kobelco Steelers (Japan) & Bay of Plenty Steamers, led player development at the Chiefs. Dave has a background as a secondary school teacher and coach, so we were able to apply learning from the professional game to coaches operating in the youth and community space.
Through our yarn it was clear how Dave values relationships and connecting with people - a trait that all coaches can nail. He uses that as the basis for his coaching approach. We yarned about:
- The importance of building relationships and what that can look like
- His time leading a Secondary School Programme
- The balance of Enjoyment, Learning and Performance
- Collaborative coaching environments
- And more
Mark is the current Video Analyst for Waikato Rugby. He has also been the analyst for the Fijian Drua, Chiefs, Canada National team and Bay of Plenty Steamers. As well as his analysis role, he is an assistant coach with the Waikato Men's Rugby team.
Mark has made a niche from combining his coaching experience with the ability to use footage as a learning tool for players. And apart from that he is a top man. He is very grounded, has a great sense of humour and loves to play the drums in his spare time (he can can keep a sharp beat - 'in the pocket.')
We yarned about:
- The role of a video analyst
- A week in the life of an analyst
- How youth coaches could use video analysis to help players
- And much more
It was great yarning with the energetic, charismatic, legend of the South Jimmy Sinclair. Jimmy has made a huge impact in coach development where he worked for Canterbury Rugby, done consultancy work for New Zealand Rugby (including being the face of the FABS campaign), coaches the NZ U18 World Schools Girls 7s team and is now moving into a 'Play Manager' role in Canterbury. He also runs his own company called The People Outfit (check it out HERE).
It's always a pleasure catching up with Jimmy as you'll leave feeling energised and uplifted. It's always fun when Jimmy's around.
We chatted about:
- Play-based approaches
- Player-centered philosophy
- Generation Z and how TV scheduling can explain a lot about current teenagers.
- Theming
- Hogan Profiling (personality psychology) & how The People Outfit might be able to help!
Cheers Jimmy
Simone works at Aktive in the role of 'Sports Manager,' where she works with and consults sporting organisations within the wider Auckland area. She also consults with Sport NZ on the Good Sports National Parents Project. We yarned about Good Sports which is all about creating positive sporting experiences for children and young people.
We covered:
- A Climate of Performance v Development
- The Good Sports spine
- The roles coaches play in fostering a 'climate of development'
- What empowerment can look for youth
- Play-based learning approaches
- And more...
Good Sports is a wonderful framework for coaches to use. If you are keen for more information on Good Sports, you can access the resources HERE
Zane Winslade is a Mental Skills Coach and founder of Flow Sport. We chatted to Zane about 'Coaching Confidence.' This is a topic many coaches get in touch about. You know...
"In my team, some kids are really confident, where other kids are the opposite end of the spectrum. How do I help my players be more confident?"
We chatted about:
- What is confidence?
- Where does confidence come from?
- How to help players be more confident?
- Goal setting - effort / courage v outcomes
- Using analogies
- And more...
And we chatted about the Mental Toughness Journal that is helping teenagers develop essential skills needed to develop a stronger, more resilient mind.
Click HERE to find out more about Zane, Flow Sport and the Mental Toughness Journal
Dave is Coach Development Manager for New Zealand Cricket. He has also worked for Volleyball NZ, Harbour Sport as well as being a Director of Sport at a Secondary School in Ireland. He also has his own business, Coaching Unleashed where he facilitates corporate training. He's a passionate, deep thinker who just loves coaching and people development.
We yarned to Dave about:
- Observation Skills - An underrated and underdeveloped coaching skill. What to observe, how, operating as a coaching team.
- Smash Play - a new initiative by NZ Cricket to maximise engagement, skill development and autonomy for young kids.
And of course, a few tangents.
Jay is National Coach for Golf NZ. He is also the host of Coaching Performance Podcast, so it was nice to get him on the other side of the microphone.
We touched on a fair bit including:
- Skill learning + the importance of play
- How teenagers are engaging in Golf
- How identity can be wrapped up on sport - his own story
- Can coaching intervention make athletes worse?
- The role of representative sport or not?
- His own reflections on youth sport and coaches who impacted on him.
Sam McKenzie currently works for AFL in the coach development space. Formally he worked in coach development with Auckland Rugby where he completed research based around the 1A 1st XV competition. His research is titled:
Secondary school first XV rugby players’ perceptions of the coaching environmentIt's a fascinating insight into the perceptions of 16-18 year old boys.