Jane Lilliycrop has always played quite a few different ball sports such as football, hockey, touch, and netball. She coached many school teams while studying a Bachelor of Education (Human Movement and Health) which then led to many years of coaching at the schools she worked at, mostly primary-aged girls. When her daughters started playing sport, she was excited to coach their teams and has particularly enjoyed coaching football and touch.
“I love building a rapport with the players and seeing each of them improve and have ‘personal wins’. I love seeing their smiling red faces come off the field after a tough, yet fun game. Winning is a bonus but making sure the kids have fun at training, are challenged at games and then want to play again each year, is what makes it worthwhile. I enjoy boosting the confidence of players so that they are happy to go out on the field and give it their best.”
Jane has many of the usual challenges of being a mum who coaches her kids’ teams, such as time constraints and family commitments, but she still wants to be a better coach so she can feel confident and give her players the best football experience possible.
“Each team is different and each year is different. I’m currently in the 5th year of coaching my eldest daughter’s Pittwater team who are now in W12. I have really enjoyed getting to know the girls over the years and watching them grow and develop into strong, confident players.”
Jane completed her C Licence in 2018 and then further developed her coaching skills through the Future Coaches program in 2019.
“Each of these experiences developed and broadened my skills, knowledge and confidence as a coach. I have spent the majority of my career teaching and coaching primary-aged kids, so as my daughters move up through the age-groups, I would like to progress with them as a coach.”
Doing courses and programs such as these have also helped Jane in her job as a teacher.
“Although the knowledge and skills taught were directly related to football, many of them could be carried across to the classroom and school environment, such as people skills, leadership, motivation, self-assessment, and of course all the practical activities.
Jane will be one of the presenters of the Female Only MiniRoos Coaching course on Tuesday July 14 at Cromer Park. For more information about this course and to register, please see here: https://www.mwfa.com.au/2020/06/23/female-only-coaching-course-rescheduled/
“If you are thinking about getting involved in coaching, the most important thing is to believe in yourself. You can do it, you should do it and you’ll enjoy it. Your players will appreciate you and there’s plenty of support offered through MWFA and your local club.”
MWFA is looking forward to seeing Jane be a great inspiration and role model even more female players and coaches moving forward.
Look out for more articles on other MWFA Future Coaches in the coming weeks.
