andrew kirk

During the summer of 2016 I worked in the west coast of America coaching soccer to a variety of different age groups and ability levels. I travelled across five different States during an eight week period, mainly staying with host families. Specifically, I coached on summer camps, technical training programmes, academies and individualised activities. I also underwent internal training with regards to soccer during my time there.

Work as part of a team undertaking various tasks involved in the day to day running of the fast food restaurant. Commitment, communication and co-operation amongst members of staff is essential to ensure smooth running of tasks at hand. Required to work under pressure and pull together with other members of the team.

Following the completion of my coach development programme and my undergraduate degree, I had the privilege of being able to work abroad for three months as camp co-ordinator/sport coach in New York. The experience I gained from being placed outwith my comfort zone has extended to my current coaching practice. I coached sixteen different sports (including golf) to kids aged 2-18 on a weekly basis. My responsibilities also involved driving a car/van to the required destination five days per week. Overall, I gained invaluable experience by using my child centred approach to coaching within a different culture/country. The experience itself was a challenge and one which I will remember as being the most valuable to kickstart my professional career.

Unique employment undertook whilst studying in the final three years of university. Throughout this programme there was the opportunity to be involved in multi-sport coaching within after school sessions or events. Amongst this, I was also required to complete academic presentations and complete coach education courses to facilitate my ongoing professional development. As part of the final year in the programme, students were required to get involved in the planning process of a regional disability event. This involved various group meetings, office time and contacting members of staff or specific schools through email or telephone.

Roadshow co-ordinator – Required to drive professional basketball players (Glasgow Rocks) to a primary school in and around the Glasgow area. As co-ordinator, it is my job to communicate effectively with staff members in setting up alcohol, smoking and healthy eating stations, whereby the basketball players then deliver a presentation. Sport coach – Responsible for coaching basketball to primary school children aged 9-12. This is delivered over a six week block. It is imperative to incorporate themes similar to what is covered in the roadshows’ as well as delivering a fun and organised session covering the technical/tactical points of basketball

I am responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating coaching sessions designed for primary/early secondary school children. This takes the form of lunchtime, after school and evening sessions. The liaison with Active Schools provides a foundation for the company to build on and be able to diversify and develop. The range of sports on offer are multi-various and can range from team sports such as football, to more individualised activities such as table tennis.

Responsible for implementing, organising and running sport clubs and competitions for COGC students in a variety of different ways. Through the students association, one of my roles is mainly to engage students to take part in the weekly clubs we offer, as well as help promote/advertise any upcoming activities. Scottish Student Sport is an organisation that coordinates sport and physical activity for all colleges and Universities in Scotland. This is where my other role lies whereby I am required to liase with the West Regional sport co-ordinator to establish what events and competitions will likely to be of interest within the college. Amongst these areas, the diversity of the role allows me to take part in coaching the college teams, choosing a squad of players for the SSS and BUCS competitions, as well as carrying out other tasks such as equipment checks/purchases, establishing or building on existing health and safety procedures, as well as helping sport coaching students with college work when I possible.

Sport Studies is a multi-disciplinary subject area and my understanding of this area was based on grounded theory, but with a strong emphasis on applied contexts. Subjects studied included sport science, psychology of sports performance, history of physical education and the development of excellence in sport, to name a few. What role does sport play in society? Who plays sport and why? How is sport managed and delivered? How does psychology enhance elite sports performance? What are the physical and mental benefits of sport and physical activity? These are just a snapshot of the questions brought to me through my time at University and one which I fully embraced and took with me into my professional practice. Ultimately, the course gave me the chance to gain a broad understanding of sport in general, but then enabled me to then make my career pathway more specific by undertaking an MSc shortly after graduating. Activities and Societies: Played in the golf 3rd team - 9 handicap - during my 1st and 2nd year's, mainly entering the BUCS events

Throughout my studies I undertook various tasks/assignments ranging from essays, presentations and practical assessments. This course gave me the skills to extend, self-reflect and ultimately improve on my current coaching practice. For example, this course has also given me the opportunity to critically analyse both the science and art of my own sports coaching practice, which is essential in order to see a sustained improvement in my own practice. In particular, the science enables me to obtain a deeper understanding of the required knowledge to implement sports coaching strategies or methods, whilst the art gives me the intuity and self-awareness to apply these strategies or methods in various formats. Overall, the multi-disciplinary approach to sports performance has given me the range of skills and knowledge required to deliver a high quality service to recreational or intermediate/high performance adults/children.