Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport – in the House of Commons am 2:30 pm ar 8 Mehefin 2009.
Gerry Sutcliffe
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) (Sport)
2:30,
8 Mehefin 2009
One of the good things about sport is that we work with colleagues right across Government—whether it is cricket or swimming, we are showing the impact that sport can have on other programmes for individual development. Specifically on cricket, the increase in school sport from two hours to five hours can be delivered only by clubs working closely with schools. Yes, PE teachers, and teachers, are important, but we also have specialist sports colleges and competition managers in schools. We need to encourage more coaches at different levels. We certainly want volunteer coaches, but we also want coaches for specific sports, including cricket, which is why we set up investment to offer 5,000 young people the opportunity to become cricket coaches.
Annotations
Nicholas Kulkarni
Posted on 9 Meh 2009 4:29 pm (Report this annotation)
Forget the nonsense of investment in young people its a rip off that puts money in the hands of quangos to be spent on their friends. What about allowing senior experienced coaches like myself and others the chance of a job coaching local schools rather than expecting the coaches to be paid for by local clubs and their services donated for free to the schools?
I returned from working in Malaysia coaching 350 children in schools up and down the West Coast of Sabah to find there was no such thing as a paid cricket coach in any government funded school in the UK.
Small wonder we just lost to Holland!
Michael Bourne
Posted on 16 Gor 2009 11:46 pm (Report this annotation)
I suspect that these 5,000 coaching positions are being offered primarily to give to young people employment. Even a modicum of understanding of the recreational game would convince Mr Sutcliffe that there are needs far more urgent and important than cricket coaches. And there are far more important factors to consider other than coaching when presenting the game to school children.
By the way, Mr Sutcliffe, how does the offer of 5,000 coaching positions to young people square with your earlier statement of ensuring 'that we have the best coaches'? Rookie coaches, qualified or not, will need many years of experience at local clubs before graduating to the top echelons. Have a word with Mr Kulkarni and many others who know about the game, rather than rely on your advisers who are seemingly completely out of of touch.