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I learned so much about coaching and development that I could apply in my own work.
From player to coach
Prior to studying the foundation degree, I was a player and captain for the Wigan Warriors education rugby league team for three years, and I later became the assistant coach. I also played for my local amateur team, Shevington Sharks.
My goal was to become a coach in schools and for local rugby teams, so I took this opportunity to study in order to gain the right knowledge to not only become a better coach, but also a better person. I had gained knowledge from coaches I’d worked with in the past, as well as developing my own ideas about coaching, but I wanted to build on this with more knowledge and confidence to help me reach the next level. This course helped me to develop the skills I needed to achieve my goals.
I was given the opportunity to complete this course thanks to the connection between the University of South Wales and the Wigan Warriors education academy, and my experience was brilliant. I learned so much about coaching and development that I could apply in my own work. It also helped me gain more confidence when coaching children of different ages.
Find your courseBuilding skills for a successful career
The biggest challenge when starting this course was the significant step up in the standard of work and independent study. It was a big transition, but it helped me become more independent when working on assignments and encouraged me to improve my grammar to achieve the best marks possible.
Although we weren’t based at the USW campus, the support we received was excellent. Our module leaders were only an email away and created helpful videos explaining everything we needed to know, which we could access online via Blackboard. This was particularly useful as we could revisit the videos when needed to improve our understanding and discuss them as a group.
The advice I would give to students wanting to do this course is to submit work on time and remember to take a picture of the receipt so that module leaders know that it has been submitted. I would also recommend creating a schedule that balanced university work, hobbies, and any job commitments, as this helped keep everything on track.
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Interested in Sport?
The University of South Wales has a strong sporting background, an excellent reputation for sport degrees, and impressive facilities for our students to study and train in.