School sport coaches 'critical' for success

SIR Ian McGeechan, the legendary rugby coach, has turned his back on retirement to oversee the development of a new generation of sports coaches across Britain's schools.

The 63-year-old, who masterminded Scotland's Grand Slam success in 1990, said it was "critical" to encourage today's youngsters to take on coaching and leadership duties in order to guarantee sporting success.

The former PE teacher, who was knighted in the New Year's Honours List, described the issue as "close to my heart" after being appointed as Britain's national coaching ambassador.

He hopes to use his years of expertise as head coach on four British and Irish Lions tours to bolster the number of young coaches, having joined forces with the Youth Sport Trust.

Sir Ian, who led the British Lions to victory in Australia in 1989 and South Africa eight years later, said: "From a slightly biased point of view I think that sport in the life of a youngster can have a positive impact.

"I do not think this is something that should be reactive. We have the opportunity to be proactive, to get the right people in place across the whole gamut of sport.

"It is about working with the coaches themselves and hopefully highlighting the importance that coaching can have. I think that sometimes we under-estimate that impact."

Sir Ian, who been highly critical of a shortfall in PE teachers in schools and the selling off of local authority playing fields, decided to take on the YST ambassadorship "to create as positive interest as I can" alongside his new job as Bath's performance director.

To start with, his work will involve face-to-face meetings with young coaches and conferences with teachers while YST chair Baroness Campbell presses the issue with the UK Government.

Funding cuts may be on the horizon but this may be a way to help take the pressure off teachers who will face increased demand for sport in schools because of the London 2012 Games.

Sir Ian points out: "Yes, the funding cuts are coming, but if we get the right things through education programmes and club bodies then that could work so that we have got the right people involved."

Targeting 18 to 20-year-olds to take on coaching and leadership as peer-group role models will be "critical" in trying to make a long-term difference, he said.

Sir Ian, who worked as a teacher for 22 years in Leeds, is looking forward to trying to the improve quality of coaches working in school sport because it can help develop early confidence and competence.

"If in my role I can help build on that in the community I will be pleased. I know it will be a finger in the wind to some extent but I have always coached in that way, with the belief that if you do not try you will not win.

"It is important. Sport in the life of an individual can help provide a lot of answers.This is also a time to have the parents enthused."

There will also be a need to support and train school staff to become coaches and to entice more people to take up coaching within schools in their communities in the first place.

Sir Ian, who has two children, Heather and Rob, with his wife, Judy, explained: "No-one starts their involvement in sport as a professional."