Jobs

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS MONDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2021

JOB TITLE: Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) Academy Head Coach

Covering Maternity Leave – 9 months from 1st March 2021 – 30th November 2021

DEPARTMENT: Performance

SALARY: £21,000 / 30 hours per week

REPORTING TO: EN Performance Pathway Manager/VNSL Director of Netball

 

The England Netball (EN) performance pathway is evolving; our vision is to have the World’s most successful Performance Pathway, a simple statement with bold intent. EN and the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) teams are seeking a cohort of Coaches to be based out of our English VNSL teams and lead the performance pathway within these high-performance environments.

This is a partnership between EN & the VNSL, you will be working with the guidance of VNSL Head Coaches and the EN Pathway Head Coach with opportunities for professional development in both environments.  The core purpose of this role is to manage the pathway and to develop future VNSL players and ultimately Roses who are equipped to be World Class players; striving for excellence and living and breathing a ‘Netball First’ culture.

We are looking to recruit dynamic, motivated individuals with leadership qualities, a strong work ethic, passion for the game and proven experience of working in Netball Performance environments to help us deliver on our vision, mission and objectives.

These are exciting times for our sport, and there is a new opportunity to develop the best young players that England has in a combined training and competition environment.  We are seeking outstanding individuals to support our ambitious aims.  The development of our players and the chance to help guide them through the pathway and onto VNSL senior teams and towards International success is paramount.  It is critical you understand the differences between the domestic & International game & the performance prerequisites. If you want to make high performance coaching your career then this affords you the opportunity to do so in established VNSL environments.  We look forward to taking you on the journey.

Job Summary

The VNSL Academy Head Coach will work as part of an identified VNSL team to manage a World Class Performance Pathway Programme, developing players for competition at VNSL and within England representative sides aiming to achieve domestic and international success.  The role includes the identification and development of talented players and facilitating their ongoing progression for VNSL and EN.

Key Activities

Programme:

  • In conjunction with VNSL identified senior personnel, the England Netball Pathway Head Coach (PHC) and Performance Pathway Manager (PPM) establish and develop a Performance Pathway Programme, leading, managing and systematically preparing players both on and off the court for performance competitions and accelerating their individual development as players.
  • Set the direction of the programme and deliver an annual plan that is aligned to a development curriculum covering technical, tactical, physical and mental development.
  • Liaise with Strength & Conditioning Coaches and other multi-disciplinary team members where appropriate to ensure added value to the Performance Pathway programme.
  • Develop, monitor and manage the training schedule and load of players within the programme. Engage with key stakeholders in player networks to ensure that training programmes and competition schedules can coexist effectively.
  • Liaise with the PHC to case manage the International players and contribute to their Individual Athlete Plans.
  • Ensure competitive opportunities with other VNSL Teams or equivalent opposition to complement and prepare players for EN performance competitions.
  • Support EN in the delivery of Department of Education Study Programmes.

Scouting/Screening/Selection:

  • Lead and manage the process of screening of players into the programme in conjunction with VNSL Head Coach and Scouts/Selectors where appropriate. In line with an agreed policy and talent development principles. Ensure that screening data is collated and analysed and that the appropriate feedback is given to players.
  • Establish a network of entry points into the VNSL programme and provide strategic programme/player directives to County and Satellite Academy/Club/School Coaches where appropriate.
  • Lead and manage the exit process for players leaving the pathway, ensure that each player undertakes an exit interview and provide reports to EN and Sport England as necessary.
  • Contribute to the EN Player Pathway Database as necessary.

Managing Relationships:

  • Liaise with a wide range of stakeholders, including players, parents, coaches, volunteers and administrators
  • Engage in productive and cooperative working relationships with England Netball.
  • Management of Assistant Coaches to ensure aligned and effective pathway delivery within the VNSL environment.
  • Support other Performance Pathway activity and objectives (eg. England Academy Camps/Positional Days), directed and agreed by the PPM/PHC/VNSL Head Coach.

Other:

  • Attend England Netball CPD meetings.
  • Undertake role specific CPD as directed by the PHC/VNSL Head Coach.
  • Abide by the provisions of the Company’s Equality and Diversity Policy.
  • Respect and promote the spirit and intentions of the Company’s Safeguarding and Protecting Young People in Netball Policy.
  • Undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of England Netball and VNSL Team.  As such, this job description is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive.  It is intended as an outline of the areas of work and will be subject to amends driven by any subsequent changes in the sporting landscape.

Special Conditions:

  • Please note that a large proportion of work will take place outside of normal working hours.
  • Travel is essential and International travel may be required.

Person Specification

Educational/Vocational Qualifications

  • Netball UKCC Level 2 (E)
  • Current First Aid Qualification (E)
  • Current certificate in Safeguarding and Protecting Children (E)
  • A degree qualification (or equivalent) in one of the following related fields: Sports Coaching, Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine, Sports Management (D)
  • Netball UKCC Level 3 (D)

Experience/Knowledge

  • Leadership experience in a Head Coach capacity (E)
  • Experience of working in a Netball Performance Environment (E)
  • Experience of delivering training programmes covering Technical, Tactical, Physical and Mental development (E)
  • Demonstrable experience and understanding of writing an annual plan (E)
  • Knowledge of EN’s WITTW framework (D)
  • An understanding of the benefits of Sports Science and Medicine and Performance Analysis, and their application to High Performance Netball (E)
  • Evidence of innovative and creative delivery (E)
  • Experience of managing volunteers and working with external partners in a Performance Environment (E)

Personal Abilities, Aptitudes and Skills

  • Excellent coaching skills with the ability to coach across the required age groups (E)
  • Game sense approach to Coaching (E)
  • Ability to articulate tactical changes and technical improvements to players in a pressurised situation in a concise and meaningful manner (E)
  • The ability to motivate players and use initiative to embed a High-Performance culture (E)
  • Proven leadership skills (E)
  • The ability to lead and work within a multidisciplinary team (E)
  • Excellent communication and engagement skills (E)
  • The ability to establish and proactively manage positive, trusting and respectful relations with players and key stakeholders (E)
  • The ability to support and be an advocate for the EN Performance Pathway (E)
  • Strong planning, organisation and time management skills (E)
  • High level of competency when using Microsoft Office (E)
  • Knowledge and experience of using performance analysis (E)
  • Excellent presentation skills (D)

D = Desirable
E = Essential

Deadline for entries – Monday 15th February 2021.

Job Application