We Need To Accept We Have A Coaching Problem

I prepared the following presentation back in 2015 highlighting what I saw as a coaching deficit and the effects it would have on the performances of Irish athletes in Global Championships.

Some caveats up front. I am not a world class coach. I am not an elite coach. I am not an expert in this area. I see myself as a development coach, a hobby coach. I see short comings in the coaching landscape from my perspective as a development coach and also from my time as an average athlete. This is my opinion and may not be correct, it's just an opinion.

However, what I feared would happen in 2015 has materialised in both Rio '16 and London '17. Two athletes have achieved Top 16 finishes in those Championships - Robert Heffernan and Thomas Barr. Ten years ago in the 2007 World Championships we had 8 athletes who finished in a Top 16 place. Depending on what statistics you use, the 2017 Worlds is our worst championship in 12 years (2005) and 2nd worst in 26 years (1991).

Now it is crucial to point out it is not the athletes' fault. Back in the 2009-2012 we had 11 different athletes who claimed a Top 16. There were others backing those up just on the Top 16 bubble, so anywhere up to 15 or 16 athletes. Right now we are relying on a smaller base of world class athletes in Heffernan, Barr, English, Mageean, Gregan, Britton, Pollack and Boyce (there are others who can be added to this Top 16 bubble) to achieve results for us. Injury, illness or loss of form to this small pool and we will have results like we have had since London 2012.  It is unfair to expect these athletes to consistently be Top 16 and match the return of the 2007-2012 crew. We should be thankful to these athletes and their coaches there now that have been achieving as well as they have been.

I was previously on two Athletics Ireland Committees - Coaching and High Performance. I felt I could make a difference and make a positive change. Sadly that wasn't the case and I failed while on those Committees. I have looked at other ways to make a positive change. Hopefully this presentation will create some discussion around how we can change the coaching landscape for the better. I feel the new High Performance Director Paul McNamara is open to changing the coaching landscape. But he will need the support, mostly financial, in order to do that.