FUTURE COACH PROFILE: SAI VAN WEGEN
Sai van Wegen has been at Wakehurst since the age of 6, and currently plays in the AL1/PL reserves squad. She started coaching one of their U15 girls teams last season, and is also currently working in the Manly United GSAP program with the Girls Development Squad, which is players from U10s to U13s.
Last season I felt like I was in the deep end when I was asked to coach, but I wanted to be the best coach I could be, which lead me to finding the coach workshops that MWFA were providing. They were huge eye opener because of my fitness background, and they helped me understand how to make my sessions more football based and fun, while also incorporating fitness into them. I hope to continue to gain more experience in Manly and progress as a coach because I am passionate about developing female football players.
Sai also wants to be a role model to help grow the number of female coaches in football.
I believe hard work, commitment and gaining as much knowledge as you can on coaching and football will help any aspiring coach. I did several courses with MWFA, and I want to get my C-Licence in the near future too, plus Im part of the Future Coaches Program. Youre never too young or old to start coaching and really get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
And what has been her most memorable experience so far?
When my team won a game for the first time last year after a tough previous season, and seeing how excited the girls and parents were. I was even more proud of them when they ended up making semi-finals at the end of the season, and all the girls want to play again next year.
Sai also has a business called The Performance Elements (www.theperformanceelements.com.au) which is another way in which she helps players, in particular females, to grow.
This first year of coaching has taught me a lot. Im really passionate helping players who are looking to have fun and develop their skills and fitness in competitive, game-based sessions.
MWFA is looking forward to seeing Sai progress as a coach and reaching her potential over the next few years. Look out for more articles on other MWFA Future Coaches in the coming weeks.
