Russ Wood - Director of Coaching
Michael Thomas
The Surf Coast Suns are delighted to introduce Russ Wood as the Club's first Director of Coaching.
This article is to introduce Russ and what the club hopes to achieve by having this role. Finally, it is an invitation to anyone among our community interested in coaching - or just wanting to find out more - to reach out. While there are roles available across most age groups for football and netball this year, we are also keen to hear from people who might be interested in future years.
About Russ
Russ is a Torquay local who has three kids within the Suns environment - two boys playing footy and a daughter playing netball. Russ coached at the club for the last three years, having coached boys footy at U10s, 12s and 14s level, with a passion for seeing kids develop their confidence and skills and grow into positive contributors to our community, our club is a great way to help that happen. Russ’ coaching philosophy is that, ultimately, we are about enjoyment and that enjoyment comes from the confidence gained from mastering skills and techniques - both physically, technically and socially. But none of this comes without effort - something that we rely on our coaches to harness.
The Director of Coaching Role
While every volunteer at the Suns is critical, it is the coaches that have the most interaction with our kids and it is them that our kids look to and rely on for their enjoyment and satisfaction in playing the game each week. That's why the club believes it important to give our coaches as much support and guidance as possible. Whether we are first-time coaches or veterans, there is always something we can learn.
Many clubs in the Barwon region have similar roles to this one - Coaching Directors or Coach Developers. Indeed, AFL Barwon is now encouraging more clubs to create these roles internally and have a couple of staff at AFL Barwon HQ to support us in doing this.
How it will work
While this role is new to us, we are getting stuck in. Already the club's committee and coaching staff have developed a 'Coaches Charter' for the 2023 season - a list of goals, values and behaviors we want to achieve through this year. This creates a consistent way of operating and should create a more team like and supportive environment - important, in particular, for our newer coaches. It will also communicate to parents how our coaches will be approaching their roles this year.
Both footy and netball coaches will also be having regular catchups through the season to get together, share ideas and tips and also hear from guest speakers or those outside the club that can help us develop and improve what we do.
There are also formal training courses and levels of accreditation that coaches are able to take on - all supported (financially) by the club. The Director of Coaching will be making sure coaches are aware of the opportunities available and taking advantage of them, where possible.
What you can do
If the values, objectives and behaviors listed in our Coaches Charter speak to you then please reach out - whether you are interested in coaching or not. Often the interest in coaching can start small and develop over time.
You can reach out to Russ via football@surfcoastsuns.com or netball@surfcoastsuns.com should you have any questions or would like to learn more.