|
Over 140 coaches
attended the 2010 BAFCA Convention from 16th to 18th July and came away with
the quality of experience that can only help elevate the game in Britain. The
feedback was unequivocal; it was the best Convention so far!
Loughborough University
has an international reputation for excellence in teaching, research and
unrivalled sporting excellence which makes the outstanding facilities at the
Holywell Park site very fitting for the convention. Coaches travelled from far
and wide with Scotland, Ireland, Wales and all corners of England represented.
On Friday, the Sky Sports TV cameras were
on hand to film the events and interview headline guest speakers Jeff Reinebold
and Pat Ruel along with other attendees, father and son team; David Needs Snr
and Jnr, Dom Bonvetti and former Denver Bronco, and now Coventry Jets QB, Lorne
Sam.
The day opened with a bang with the first
session delivered by Coach Golden Pat Ruel, who is acknowledged as one of the
best offensive line coaches in the business. The impact was immediate with
Coach Ruel’s endless jokes and stories supporting priceless pieces of advice on
how to coach and get the most from players. Recently, rivals.com named Coach Ruel one
of the best twenty-five recruiters in the USA and it was obvious why; within 15
minutes he was best friends with every coach in the room!
A very difficult act
to follow was handled consummately by probably U.K. football’s best friend; SMU
coach and Sky Sports TV pundit, Jeff Reinebold. Coach Reinebold delivered
a session on the 30 front defense with the passion and enthusiasm he is well
known for. At this point it was clear the 2010 Convention was going to be a
special event!
Friday's carried on
late into the evening with further sessions by coaches Ruel, Reinebold, Needs
Snr and Needs Jnr; The learning and camaraderie continued even later in the
lounge bar.
Saturday is
traditionally the busiest day at the Convention and this year was no different.
The main hall was alive with traders, the DVD library, BAFCA stand, Buzz
Sessions and impromptu coaching discussions over coffee. The coaches
ranged from NFL players and Super Bowl winners to first-year coaches all
talking as one big family with the only goal to learn from each other. The
referees association’s Simon Ryan was on hand for any questions and the guest
speaker coaches freely mingled with attendees between presentations to address
individual questions.
 Main Hall activity
On Saturday evening,
the BAFCA Coach of the Year awards were presented with this year's winners
being:
Youth Contact Coach
of the Year - Dave Hogarth, Colchester Gladiators
Adult Contact Coach
of the Year - Mark Moss, London Blitz
Flag Football Coach
of the Year - Roger Smithies, Studley Bearcats
University Coach of
the Year - Martin Hume, Solent Redhawks
Despite many
coaches reluctantly having to leave the convention early for games on the
Sunday a larger contingent remained for the Sunday field sessions.
BAFCA President, Jim
Messenger, said: 'We seem to have found a winning combination here. The
facilities at Loughborough are excellent and we continue to capture top-notch
guest speakers. The US coaches love coming to Britain and we are continuing to
build our reputation as hosts through an expanding network of past attendees.'
Simon Hatcher, BAFCA
Director of Administration, said: 'We would like to thank everyone who
contributed and attended this year for making the 2010 Convention our best
ever. The challenge now is to make 2011 even better, but we already have a host
of ideas and we are looking forward to that challenge.'
The 2011 BAFCA
Convention is likely to again take place in early July next year.
"I thought it
would be hard to top last year's convention but you guys managed to pull it off
AGAIN!"
Rob Orr - Head Coach,
Stirling Clansmen
"The best
coaching convention yet with a great lineup of expert coaches"
Ben Johnson - Head
Coach, Newcastle Raiders
"Excellent,
enjoyable, unmissable"
Phil
Fear - Head Coach, Bristol Apache
|
