On the sidelines of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier, Vanuatu Cricket has play host to a suite of education programs, focusing on coaching, athlete development and women’s leadership training.
These programs have been supported by PacificAus Sports enabling three former Australian crickets, Mel Jones, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, and Julia Price, to facilitate the sessions. This is a huge step for the country, as it is also the first time that Vanuatu will have a locally appointed coach educator capable to run coach education across all our islands.
Last week marked the beginning of the coaching careers of 18, young and upcoming cricket officers, who all completed their level one coaching courses, amongst them Vanuatu women’s national head coach Joshua Rasu and national players, Clement Tommy, and Godfrey Mangau.
As well as this, Mel Jones and Julia Price, former Australian Cricketers hosted a media training workshop, supported by PacificAus Sports for commentators and players from the East Asia Pacific region building on their interviewing skills, presentation and confidence, skills that players will need as they further their cricketing careers.
The ICC have also been running level two coaching courses with participants from around Pacific, including Vanuatu players Ronald Tari, and Darren Wotu, both of whom have undergone a week of training and intensive, skills, technical and planning work to achieve their level two coaching certificates, which are recognized globally by the international cricket council, these two will now join a short list of Vanuatu coaches, who have attained the same certification.
Operations Manager, Jamal Vira noted:
“The VCA have been extremely privileged to host all these extremely well-known and successful ICC educators, some of whom have one World Cups, and captained their national sides. From an association perspective, the impact that this will have on grassroots cricket, particularly for outreach offices on Santo, Malekula, and Tanna is immense and will help grow the next group of talented young male and female cricketers.
“The impact and legacy that this will leave on Vanuatu and the Pacific is profound and I’m so pleased the VCA were able to host”.
The Vanuatu Cricket Association would like to thank the ICC and its master educators, alongside, Henao Samuel, from cricket PNG and Eden Eduard, from cricket Indonesia, for facilitating these sessions, and allowing the association to grow its coaches at grassroots level.