Delegates from Sweden and Italy joined locals and RLEF staff, as the CZRLA held a highly successful coaching seminar in Vrchlabi as part of the European Union-backed Training and Education Portal project. Czech level 1 coach educator David Lahr rated the event as: “The best course we have delivered in the Czech Republic.”
Qualified in July 2013 and now a member of the RLEF’s coach development team, Lahr (pictured, far left, assessing a local candidate) delivered the course in conjunction with Ladislav Cintler. Ten level 1 candidates attended, with seven receiving their qualification. Lahr continued: “It was a great experience and everyone is hungry to learn more. The enthusiasm and passion of the new coaches was great, they are confident of teaching the core skills.”
Tiziano Franchini was responsible for the overall evaluation of the Czech educators‘ performance, while being assessed himself by RLEF Coaching Manager Martin Crick as part of the RLEF’s new continuing professional development system, ‘CATO‘ (consolidate-application-team-observation).
“The Czech deliverers have continually improved their skills,” said Franchini, from Italy’s governing body FIRL. “The CATO programme influences the motivations for new candidates to progress and get more deeply involved in rugby league.”
Svensk Rugby League Forening coach educator-trainees Ashley Brown and Paul Briggs, who will be delivering a course in Sweden at the end of August, picked up valuable experience in the new system and were able to share information with their European colleagues, a key component of the project.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for us to work with CZRLA,” said Brown. “Coaching is a continuous learning process and it was great to learn from and share with all involved. I was really impressed with the energy and effort from the coaches over the course. Czech Rugby league set the bar high for other nations to follow.”
The TEP is a three-year, €723.000 investment into capacity building through good governance and technical training, funded by €466.000 from the EU’s Erasmus+ project and the remainder from the RLIF and five of its full members. It is intended to build the knowledge and skills of the RLEF’s 21 European members through high quality training and mentoring.