The British American Football Coaches’ Association is pleased to announce that the 2012 National Coaching Convention by will be held at Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre from the 29th of June to the 1st of July.

Set in over 80 acres of beautiful Staffordshire countryside, Yarnfield Park will play host to a number of workshops and lectures presented by some of the finest coaches from Great Britain and North America.

Russ Hewitt, President of the Coaches’ Association welcomed the announcement. ‘We are delighted to have secured such a fabulous venue for the Convention and we look forward to unveiling our guest speakers and schedule in the coming weeks.’

‘The Convention will not only provide a great environment for learning and networking but it will also provide us with an opportunity to celebrate many of the successes of the past 12 months. The past year has been a tremendous one for the coaching community. Coaches up and down the country have consistently demonstrated a commitment to high standards and achievement, supporting an overall growth in participation and the development of some great talent and robust teams.’

Hewitt added ‘With close to 700 coaches being attached to teams in the National and Student leagues in 2011-12, a rise of 64%, we hope for a large turnout and a memorable weekend’.

 BAFCA are also proud to announce we already have 3 coaches confirmed for the 2012 Coaching Convention and they are:-

Coach Hal Mumme - HC, McMurry University

Coach Mumme was hired by Division III McMurry University on April 12, 2009. After an 0–10 season in 2008, Mumme led McMurry to a 4–6 season in 2009 and improved to 6–4 in 2010 which was the first winning season for McMurry football since 2000. In 2011 Mumme led McMurry to a record of 9-3 which included a NCAA Division III playoff appearance, the first playoff appearance for McMurry since 1980. McMurry won their first ever playoff game against Trinity 25-16 before losing in the second round to ASC rival University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The season also included a victory over NCAA Division I UT-San Antonio and arch rival Hardin-Simmons.

Last season, Mumme’s innovative Air Raid Offense ranked No. 2 in the nation in passing while the defense improved from fifth in the ASC to first from 2009 to 2010. The team finished fourth in the ASC with a 4-4 record.
Mumme had returned 59 players including nine starters on each side of the ball for the 2011. In addition, the first-ever preseason all-Americans in recorded history were recognized as Morris, quarterback Jake Mullin and wide receiver R.J. Long were projected to be among the best in the country. In addition, Austin Brooks (RB), Bertrick Ervin (OL), and Corey Hall (DE) join the trio as returning all-conference honourees.

Coach Pete Kwiatkowski – DC, Boise State Broncos

Coach Kwiatkowski is entering his second season as the Boise State defensive coordinator after being promoted from defensive line coach in January, 2010. Kwiatkowski, who is a member of the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame, is in his 14th overall season as a member of the Boise State coaching staff, and his sixth season since returning to his alma mater prior to 2006.
In each of his first five seasons since returning to the Bronco staff, Boise State led the Western Athletic Conference in both total defence and scoring defence. 
In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2010, the Broncos finished second-nationally in each statistical category, allowing just 254.69 yards per game and 12.77 points per game. Boise State also led the nation in sacks (3.69), ranked second in the country in both tackles-for-loss (8.38) and pass efficiency defence (95.19), fourth-nationally in pass defence (150.92) and seventh-nationally in rushing defence (103.77) - leading the WAC in each category.

Coach Jeff Popavich – DB Coach, Florida International University

Coach Popavich begins his fourth season as the FIU secondary coach after serving two years as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Miami (Fla.).

Popovich's secondary was one of the most improved areas on the field in 2008 for FIU. The Golden Panthers team pass defense set a new school record with 15 interceptions while recording a defensive pass efficiency that ranked in the top half of all FBS schools.

But FIU's quick turnaround is not surprising. While working with the defensive backfield as a graduate assistant at UM, the Hurricanes ranked first nationally in defensive pass efficiency in 2005 and were ranked 25th in 2006. Miami's secondary included 2005 NFL draftees cornerback Kelly Jennings (Seattle Seahawks, first round), cornerback Devin Hester (Chicago Bears, second round), cornerback Marcus Maxey (Kansas City Chiefs, fifth round), as well as All-America safety Brandon Meriweather (New England Patriots, first round) and 2005 Freshman All-America safety Kenny Phillips.

A native of Tucson, Ariz., Popovich was a walk-on at the University of Miami who turned into a major contributor on special teams and in nickel packages on defense. After starting his college career as a wide receiver, Popovich was converted into a defensive back and was a star on special teams cover units and as a holder, lettering all four years at Miami.

Also BAFCA are pleased to announce we hope to add a couple more coaches this year ‘Coaches Convention’ and for any coaches that would like to plan ahead, below are the booking details for the convention.