A pipeline of competent rowing coaches is fundamental to the overall success of rowing at all levels in Ireland. Rowing Ireland continually supports and develops the education of our coaches through our Coach Education Pathway, and we offer a range of courses to our registered members.
We have developed a hybrid learning approach for the delivery of our courses using virtual online training methods and real-world practical experience. As part of this fresh approach to coach education, we constantly review course content as well as update and upgrade presentations in line with Sport Ireland Coaching best practices. Indeed, our new format of online delivery has been shortlisted for the 2022 International Sports Technology Awards in London in May.
The coaching education pathway is based on the Long Term Athlete Development model supported by Sport Ireland Coaching as the internationally accepted standard for the development of athletes and coaches.
Currently, we offer 4 different coaching awards:
Introduction to Coaching:
This course is suitable for beginner coaches and parents willing to get involved with helping in the club but with no coaching experience. At the end of the course, you will be able to assist club coaches on the water and in the gym.
During the Covid period, we were able to put over 300 rowers and parents through the online section of the course and 190 of these have completed the full course.
Level One:
This is the second step on the Rowing Ireland Coaching Pathway. Successful completion of this course will typically enable you to coach Junior 12 to Junior 18 athletes and adults from novice to intermediate grades. We have over 50 coaches who finished or are finishing Level One courses over the past year. We have over 50 people registered for future courses and over the summer we intend to run courses in Belfast, Dublin and Limerick.
Level Two:
The aim of this course is to provide coaches with the ability to deliver coaching sessions and develop rower capacities in the ‘Training to Train’ phase of the LTPAD model. And to provide the expertise to aid and guide participants up to and including national level competition of J18 and adult club competition. We have just started our first Level Two course in over 2 years and will be offering another in September.
Level Three:
The aim of the course is to provide coaches with the skills to develop rowers to compete and win at the top end of club junior and club senior level. Some of these athletes will have ambitions to row at international level. This course is not available at the moment.
We are constantly offering courses so watch our website for more info. Or contact Gerry Farrell directly at coacheducation@rowingireland.ie