Warwickshire Under 25s Academy

Rationale

• To provide high quality coaching to young players under the age of 25
• Help broaden the appeal to young players in the County
• To attract young players into the sport
• To develop and maintain pathways to all Warwickshire County Teams

Aims

• To develop all players under the age of 25 to be the best players they can be
• To develop and enhance practical bowling skills
• To broaden and develop players knowledge of the game
• To foster and develop team spirit
• Highlight why young people are important to the future of the County
• To prepare young players to challenge for places in all WCBA teams
• To identify and prepare players for potential Bowls England Youth Academy and International teams

Purpose of the Academy

• To provide young bowlers in the Under 25 age bracket with the opportunity to work with other players within the whole of the County
• To develop young players both as individuals and to be ready to represent the County
• To develop young players to be the best bowlers they can be
• To allow members of the academy the option to become qualified coaches in their own right

What will an Academy Session look like

• Skills based activities with specific coaching regarding types of shot
• Video analysis as and when appropriate
• Team building exercises
• Game/Match preparation and awareness and shot selection
• Etiquette awareness
• Laws of the game
• Decision Making and Communication Skills

Coaching Team

The coaching team will initially consist of the following people:

• Jerry Horne – Lead Coach and Level 2 Coach
• Joy Cooke – WWBA Johns Team member and Level 2 Coach
• Other guest coaches will be invited as and when required as well as current/former county players

Ambassador: Kirsty Richards – WWBA and England International

Coach Profile – Jerry Horne

• Jerry has been playing lawn bowls for over 10 years joining Royal Leamington Spa BC in 2010 and Avon Valley indoor bowls club in 2017 and he has recently qualified as a Coach Bowls Level 2 coach.
• Most of Jerry’s coaching experience has been built up in Badminton as head coach at Warwickshire Racquets and Health club from 1995 – 2008 and becoming Warwickshire County Coaching Co-ordinator in 1998 , he is also qualified as a Tutor and Assessor for Badminton England level 1 & 2 courses.
• Away from sport Jerry served 34 years in Warwickshire Fire & Rescue service as a full time fire officer in mostly operational roles before retiring in 2013. Latterly he has been working as the Fire Safety Training Officer with South Warwickshire Health trust from 2013 until retiring he hopes “finally” this time in February 2020.

Coach Profile – Joy Cooke

• I have been involved in a variety of sports since I was at primary school and enjoy competing as an individual but more so as part of a team. I started playing bowls in 1985 and was lucky to have an excellent mentor from the beginning and play at club, district and county level.
• During my many years in the education service as a teacher, adviser and mentor I always recognised the importance of developing individual potential and performance and becoming a bowls coach has given me the chance to do this in the bowling community. It has also given me the opportunity to give something back to the sport that I love.
• I qualified at Level 2 with Coach Bowls in 2017 and have been privileged to coach beginners at Solihull Indoor Bowls Club and to work on developing performance of some of my fellow bowlers at Blossomfield Bowls Club.
• I believe that good quality coaching can inspire bowlers, raise the profile of the sport and that it is also essential for the future development of the game of bowls.

When will the session take place

There will be four sessions per year. However extra sessions may be added if and when appropriate. The sessions will take place on Sunday mornings at Royal Leamington Spa BC commencing at 9:30am and ending at noon.
The dates for 2024 are as follows

• Sunday 28th April
• Sunday 26th May
• Sunday 23rd June
• Sunday 14th July

For further details and information please contact Jerry Horne via or 01926 313273