WEBVTT 00:00:03.190 --> 00:00:06.429 Welcome to The icoachcricket Podcast. In this 00:00:06.429 --> 00:00:08.890 episode, we're off to Somerset. The county's 00:00:08.890 --> 00:00:12.189 head of pathway is Andrew Griffiths. Before Somerset, 00:00:12.189 --> 00:00:15.070 the ECB Level 4 coach was a performance analyst 00:00:15.070 --> 00:00:18.489 at Nottinghamshire. Somerset have a good record 00:00:18.489 --> 00:00:20.670 producing young players who've gone on to play 00:00:20.670 --> 00:00:23.410 first -class cricket over the years. Tim Dellor's 00:00:23.410 --> 00:00:25.829 been to the ground at Taunton to find out how 00:00:25.829 --> 00:00:27.969 they keep players rolling off the production 00:00:27.969 --> 00:00:35.340 lines. So here we are, off -season at Taunton. 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:37.700 The outfield's interesting. There's a lot of 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:39.119 work going on here at the moment, isn't there? 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:41.979 Yes, there is, Tim. Huge amount happening. Obviously 00:00:41.979 --> 00:00:44.399 just completely refurbed the outfield, I think, 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.380 in terms of relaying it. Ripping it all up. putting 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:49.299 it to bed after another season and obviously 00:00:49.299 --> 00:00:51.659 the indoor school as well is another area where 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:52.960 there's a lot of work going on at the moment 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.759 as well yeah exciting exciting winter ahead but 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:57.880 it has created some delays as well in terms of 00:00:57.880 --> 00:00:59.880 it not being ready to start until the back end 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:01.780 of November now but everyone has this little 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:04.140 window of time where you can get things done 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:06.680 and without it impacting the cricket too much 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:10.099 which already seems a long time ago but and the 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:11.599 indoor school yes i went in there earlier on 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.939 and it's got ladders up and all stripped out 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:16.379 and it looks like there's a lot going on there 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:18.959 how's that impacted what you do on a day -to 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:20.480 -day basis because i'm imagining you spend a 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:23.120 lot of your winter typically in the indoor school 00:01:23.640 --> 00:01:25.439 Yeah so typically we normally are in there from 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:27.060 the start of November onwards and obviously like 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.439 I say it's kind of pushed us back by three or 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:32.000 four weeks which is a shame but it'll be worth 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.359 the wait it needed to happen and I think it's 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:35.980 quite funny actually the reason it did get pushed 00:01:35.980 --> 00:01:37.980 back a little bit was a result of qualifying 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:41.000 for finals day in the T20 Blast the men's team 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.540 so meant that we just needed to hold on to that 00:01:43.540 --> 00:01:45.519 facility for a little bit longer in terms of 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:47.299 providing them with opportunities to prep and 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:49.400 stuff when it was it was quite wet and rainy 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:52.079 at that stage so that meant it created some delays 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:53.829 but thankfully it was worth it with how that 00:01:53.829 --> 00:01:55.989 turned out it's a funny old time and it has has 00:01:55.989 --> 00:01:58.870 created some some delays but it will be it'll 00:01:58.870 --> 00:02:00.909 be worth the wait it's going to be a much improved 00:02:00.909 --> 00:02:02.989 facility as well so it'd be great to get in there 00:02:02.989 --> 00:02:04.930 soon well let's just stay on that then so that's 00:02:04.930 --> 00:02:07.310 really interesting that your t20 team because 00:02:07.310 --> 00:02:09.969 of weather and yeah it was a wet time wasn't 00:02:09.969 --> 00:02:12.110 it at the back end of the summer had to go indoors 00:02:12.110 --> 00:02:15.569 to do some of their prep there how easy is it 00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:19.620 as coaches to set up meaningful practice in an 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:22.159 indoor setup where which is very different from 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:25.240 finals day outdoors yeah I mean obviously from 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.479 a pro perspective I limited involvement in that 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:29.639 side of things this year I've been around that 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:31.759 group in the past and I can kind of relate to 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:33.520 my own experiences of that but certainly from 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:36.000 a pathway perspective I think it it's a challenge 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.099 and it's something We're really big on trying 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:40.800 to create context and trying to set problems 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.759 for players to solve, which is hard, right? If 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:45.659 you think, as a young player, you might have 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:47.960 a four -month season, you might be outside from 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.580 May through to the end of August, and then that's 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:51.800 eight months of the year where you're either 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.379 not playing the sport or you're playing in a 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:54.919 context or an environment that looks nothing 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:56.759 like the sport itself. It's completely different, 00:02:56.860 --> 00:02:59.599 isn't it? Yeah, and you look at a ground and 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.560 how vast the space it is and how hard it is to 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:04.360 recreate that in an indoor school when you've 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:06.900 effectively got... one maybe two or three net 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:09.199 lanes that you can utilize and try and use that 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.580 space as well as possible but I think you have 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:13.360 to be really skillful as a coach to think about 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.520 how you are trying to create relevant problems 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.500 that are effectively still trying to develop 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:19.719 players for the game of cricket so that when 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:21.699 they are dropped back into the context of a match 00:03:21.699 --> 00:03:24.199 situation they're better off the back of the 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:26.120 the program they've had through the winter so 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.099 it does come with challenges but they're exciting 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:30.379 and fun challenges You have to be quite creative, 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:32.080 don't you, to do that, and you have to have really 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.280 good knowledge of the game. The technique bit, 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:36.719 in many ways, is the easy bit to coach, isn't 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.120 it, especially indoors, and that problem -solving 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.120 element, to inject some of that into your sessions 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:44.840 as a coach is far more taxing, really, isn't 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:46.840 it, indoors? Yeah, I completely agree, and you 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.599 can see why other sports talk about having similar 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:51.840 issues as well, but I do think it's an issue 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.620 that's far greater in cricket in the sense that... 00:03:54.830 --> 00:03:57.349 The challenges around us training in an environment 00:03:57.349 --> 00:03:59.930 that is representative of the game itself are 00:03:59.930 --> 00:04:02.349 huge, obviously, especially in this country where... 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:04.770 A lot of other cricket player nations don't have 00:04:04.770 --> 00:04:06.770 that issue. They tend to be outside most of the 00:04:06.770 --> 00:04:08.729 year. That's the easy answer, isn't it? Just 00:04:08.729 --> 00:04:11.229 jet off to somewhere hotter, somewhere drier. 00:04:11.590 --> 00:04:13.750 Yeah, we're unfortunate most winters to have 00:04:13.750 --> 00:04:15.650 two weeks in Sri Lanka with the pathway team. 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:18.449 Your budget now must be massive down at Somerset, 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:20.870 winning everything. I'm not so sure about that. 00:04:20.949 --> 00:04:23.389 Not so sure. But yeah, I think it does create 00:04:23.389 --> 00:04:26.089 challenges. And I think it is more challenging 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:28.069 from a coaching perspective. But I think if you 00:04:28.069 --> 00:04:30.850 embrace those challenges and consider what it 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:33.360 is exactly you're trying to... to support players 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:35.339 with and what problems you're trying to help 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:38.420 them solve it's easy to move away from that more 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:40.259 traditional approach of just talking about technique 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:42.000 but you can definitely see why it's got to that 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.319 point if you think about well the easiest thing 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:48.079 to see in a one lane net session is the way in 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:50.610 which someone is moving because the outcome of 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:52.490 which they're demonstrating, there's a lot, you 00:04:52.490 --> 00:04:54.029 know, it's far more challenging to see where 00:04:54.029 --> 00:04:55.589 the ball actually ends up if you're an indoor 00:04:55.589 --> 00:04:57.410 school and you've got one lane. It might be in 00:04:57.410 --> 00:04:59.449 a period of the year where you might not be doing 00:04:59.449 --> 00:05:01.589 a huge amount, if I'm thinking back to the pro 00:05:01.589 --> 00:05:03.629 -based stuff now as well, but it might be a period 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:05.670 where they're doing less back V -ball. I have 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:07.110 a slightly different view on that in the pathway. 00:05:07.209 --> 00:05:08.970 We would try and do a lot more back V -ball stuff. 00:05:09.149 --> 00:05:11.029 And again, that's not devaluing the importance 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:14.029 of technical fundamentals. I think... it's important 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:15.810 that we find time to do that stuff through our 00:05:15.810 --> 00:05:17.629 programmes. But ultimately, the way I look at 00:05:17.629 --> 00:05:20.509 it, if you've got the best 18 to 20 cricketers 00:05:20.509 --> 00:05:23.350 of that age in the county, in a room together, 00:05:23.569 --> 00:05:26.649 once a fortnight, or however often you see them 00:05:26.649 --> 00:05:28.350 for a winter, depending on what age they're at, 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:32.290 to me, it seems illogical to not utilise some 00:05:32.290 --> 00:05:34.430 bat v ball opportunities, right? And actually 00:05:34.430 --> 00:05:36.529 play the game as much as you can. Because that 00:05:36.529 --> 00:05:39.139 is one thing that you can't. exactly replicate 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:41.319 isn't it you can't replicate the outfield and 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.019 you can't replicate where the ball's going but 00:05:43.019 --> 00:05:45.319 you can get a bowler running in against the batter 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:48.259 100 and i and i'm definitely can relate my own 00:05:48.259 --> 00:05:49.660 experiences i wouldn't have done that at the 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:51.579 start like a few years ago when i first started 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:54.079 here the vast majority of the winter program 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:55.939 would have been very technical i would have been 00:05:55.939 --> 00:05:57.699 responsible for working with bowlers of younger 00:05:57.699 --> 00:05:59.480 age groups at that point and i would have been 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.040 quite fearful of oh no don't go and bowl at the 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:03.560 batter's yet you're not ready like technically 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:05.339 you're not ready i've definitely gone on quite 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:07.889 a a journey with that approach because they've 00:06:07.889 --> 00:06:10.149 got a long time to be ready i'd also wonder what 00:06:10.149 --> 00:06:12.629 ready actually what it means and what it is but 00:06:12.629 --> 00:06:14.350 actually if they're learning and they're developing 00:06:14.350 --> 00:06:16.509 and they're solving more problems developing 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:19.329 more solutions to more problems and i think that's 00:06:19.329 --> 00:06:21.870 the important part of where i see technical fundamentals 00:06:21.870 --> 00:06:24.829 being important they are important because they 00:06:24.829 --> 00:06:27.410 provide people with more solutions to more problems 00:06:27.410 --> 00:06:30.329 at a more challenging level but we need to create 00:06:30.329 --> 00:06:32.230 the problems first for them to understand what 00:06:32.230 --> 00:06:33.949 they're actually trying to do to then understand 00:06:33.949 --> 00:06:36.660 why they would benefit from developing the ways 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:38.220 in which they can do it further if that makes 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:40.620 sense so rather than creating this quite dualistic 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:44.160 view of it's technique or it's tactical is technical 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:46.579 or tactical no actually can we look at that in 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:48.379 a lens where actually they're one in the same 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:50.120 they come together and we need to create ways 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:52.220 in which we can smartly design practices that 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:54.819 allow people to develop all of that in one really 00:06:54.819 --> 00:06:57.420 right let me lob a grenade into all of this then 00:06:57.420 --> 00:07:00.399 if you didn't do anything with your pathway from 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:02.300 the end of the season till christmas and then 00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:04.860 got them all in on january the first and did 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:07.439 good work there do you think you'd be producing 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:10.220 better cricketers or because there's lots of 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:11.980 other things they can learn through they could 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:15.069 go and play hockey or football or rugby And actually 00:07:15.069 --> 00:07:17.089 have that opportunity to freshen up for three 00:07:17.089 --> 00:07:19.290 or four months rather than everywhere, not just 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:21.550 at Somerset, everywhere. They do a 12 -month 00:07:21.550 --> 00:07:23.589 programme pretty much now, don't they? Yeah, 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:25.949 I hope they wouldn't be better for it because 00:07:25.949 --> 00:07:29.930 I'd be doing myself out of a job. As good? No, 00:07:29.970 --> 00:07:32.550 I think it comes down to what you're going after, 00:07:32.649 --> 00:07:35.009 how you're designing your practices and the purpose 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:37.009 of what you're doing. And I think ultimately, 00:07:37.089 --> 00:07:38.870 if you're creating more training opportunities 00:07:38.870 --> 00:07:41.370 through the winter for players that are highly 00:07:41.370 --> 00:07:43.970 motivated, love the game, are really... engaged 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:46.449 in the practices that they're taking part in. 00:07:46.490 --> 00:07:48.449 They're solving problems tactically. They're 00:07:48.449 --> 00:07:50.430 working on how they're developing their approach 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:52.550 to do that. They're learning more about the game. 00:07:52.709 --> 00:07:54.689 They might have S &C opportunities alongside 00:07:54.689 --> 00:07:56.470 that, where, of course, there'll be physical 00:07:56.470 --> 00:07:58.389 benefits to playing other sports away from that, 00:07:58.449 --> 00:08:00.490 and we would definitely encourage that. It wouldn't 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:02.670 be until much further into their journey at an 00:08:02.670 --> 00:08:04.629 academy level, where even at that level, for 00:08:04.629 --> 00:08:06.310 the vast majority, we're still encouraging them 00:08:06.310 --> 00:08:09.810 to play other sports as well. But younger age 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:11.870 groups, yeah, just get them playing as much as 00:08:11.870 --> 00:08:13.810 possible. And we'd be, through the winter, we'd 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:15.910 have players who, they tend to be quite tired 00:08:15.910 --> 00:08:17.750 players, but they come on a Sunday and they might 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:19.529 have a football match in the morning and then 00:08:19.529 --> 00:08:21.250 they've got their cricket in the afternoon or 00:08:21.250 --> 00:08:23.990 vice versa or rugby. And I think that's a huge 00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:25.810 benefit in the multi -sport side of that. We 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:27.829 tend to work with the parents in other sports 00:08:27.829 --> 00:08:30.220 clubs to be... making sure that that complements 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:32.659 each other but i i would hope that there's still 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:34.740 huge benefits to a start and when we do to get 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:37.399 more more opportunities for players to practice 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:39.360 yeah well whatever you're doing is working because 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.279 i've got a bit of a list here of some of the 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.840 players that you've had through the pathway who 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.500 have gone on to play at the top level very quickly 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:49.679 as well having been in all the way through the 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:51.779 somerset pathway they've come into the first 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:53.919 class game and swam haven't they they've not 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:57.940 sunk they've really done well straight away What 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:01.320 do you think you do to equip players to make 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:03.539 that jump? So you must be doing something. You 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:06.320 might even do it without realising it, but there's 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.960 something going on that you manage to get players 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:12.440 to cope well with the higher level and the higher 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.779 demands. What do you think you're doing to equip 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:17.039 them so well? It's a really good question. I 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:19.639 think... There's probably a few moving parts 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:21.539 to it, but I think some of them are probably 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:23.919 quite unique to us as a county and the situation 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:25.539 we find ourselves in. And I think that'd be the 00:09:25.539 --> 00:09:27.440 same for other people as well. Some of the people 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:29.600 or some of the things you do? Probably some of 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:31.600 the ways that things happen. But for me, one 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:33.259 thing that we're quite deliberate about, if we've 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:35.519 got a player who we think... It's of high potential. 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:37.360 Like trying to stretch them early and provide 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:39.080 them with opportunities to play up age groups 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:40.659 early in their journey is something we're quite 00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:42.779 big on. I know someone like James Rue, I think 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:44.919 he made his under -18 pathway debut when he was 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:47.799 14. Not everywhere does that. Some of them deliberately 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:49.899 hold them back a bit, don't they? It takes a 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:51.600 bit of courage, doesn't it, as a coach to throw 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:53.629 them in. It does, and it can create challenges 00:09:53.629 --> 00:09:56.370 around. Naturally, there's a lot of people between 00:09:56.370 --> 00:09:58.789 that player and the top age of that age group 00:09:58.789 --> 00:10:00.870 who therefore probably aren't receiving opportunities. 00:10:01.110 --> 00:10:03.370 So it takes managing skillfully with players 00:10:03.370 --> 00:10:05.549 and parents in that sense as well at times. But 00:10:05.549 --> 00:10:07.850 he'd be a bit of an outlier as well. There'd 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:09.629 be other examples of people who've gone in early 00:10:09.629 --> 00:10:12.090 and young. But I think being deliberate with... 00:10:12.269 --> 00:10:13.690 with stretching people if you think they're good 00:10:13.690 --> 00:10:15.269 enough and it is I think that's an important 00:10:15.269 --> 00:10:17.570 part as well like he's obviously a player of 00:10:17.570 --> 00:10:19.730 he's an example of of a player with high potential 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:22.809 who you could do that with and survival and thrive 00:10:22.809 --> 00:10:25.909 in that environment whereas some people if you're 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:27.509 not sure about them, thrown in an environment 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:30.370 three, four years early might be overstretching 00:10:30.370 --> 00:10:32.730 and quite taxing on them. In terms of personality 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:35.049 and character rather than in terms of skill set? 00:10:35.169 --> 00:10:37.509 I think both as well. I think personality is 00:10:37.509 --> 00:10:39.129 a big part of that. But I think they do have 00:10:39.129 --> 00:10:40.990 to have the skills to be able to cope with the 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:42.570 pace of the game at that level because it would 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:45.330 probably be quite far beyond what they're used 00:10:45.330 --> 00:10:47.710 to. So I think that would be one thing. I think 00:10:47.710 --> 00:10:50.200 another thing... I guess if I think about the 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.820 uniqueness to an environment, I think one thing 00:10:52.820 --> 00:10:55.159 that's probably created more opportunities in 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:56.820 the last few years than what might have been 00:10:56.820 --> 00:10:59.679 before would be, I guess the nature of us having 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:03.159 a very successful T20 men's team would be that 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.379 we lose a lot of players to the 100, which then 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:07.720 results in a lot of young players from the academy 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:11.230 or young pros within that squad. receiving a 00:11:11.230 --> 00:11:13.129 lot of opportunities to play through the metrobank 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:16.129 competition and one thing i absolutely love about 00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:18.389 working here i mean cricket in this this area 00:11:18.389 --> 00:11:21.990 is so so relevant and so important to the people 00:11:21.990 --> 00:11:23.710 in the area you know you normally have to travel 00:11:23.710 --> 00:11:26.149 probably down to exeter or up to bristol professional 00:11:26.149 --> 00:11:28.730 sport in in large cities so he's kind of got 00:11:28.730 --> 00:11:30.750 this whole part of the community yeah a hundred 00:11:30.750 --> 00:11:32.850 percent yeah it's massive you come off the m5 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:34.629 and you got all the signs and all the cricket 00:11:34.629 --> 00:11:37.389 signs taking you right off the M5 to the ground. 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:39.929 That just demonstrates, doesn't it, that it is 00:11:39.929 --> 00:11:42.509 a big part of Taunton, Somerset and the South 00:11:42.509 --> 00:11:44.629 West. Yeah, it's huge and it is the wider South 00:11:44.629 --> 00:11:46.629 West as well. I know our commercial team has 00:11:46.629 --> 00:11:48.169 done a piece of work recently, I think, that 00:11:48.169 --> 00:11:51.200 showed that there were memberships. From postcodes 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.139 all over the region, from Devon and Cornwall, 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.240 we do a lot with those counties as well. And 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:57.379 we work closely, certainly from a pathway perspective, 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:00.500 as three counties. And you've kind of only got 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:02.139 to look at the makeup of our professional staff 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:04.820 on the men's and women's side to realise how 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:07.460 important the whole region is to us. But the 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:09.179 relevance of cricket in this area means that 00:12:09.179 --> 00:12:11.460 when players do get those opportunities in the 00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:14.320 Metro Bank competition or what have you, this 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:15.940 year they were playing in front of 5 ,000, 6 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:18.720 ,000 people, which is something that's an incredible 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:20.809 experience for them. developmentally and i think 00:12:20.809 --> 00:12:23.470 stands them in good stead for when we're in different 00:12:23.470 --> 00:12:25.389 formats of the game and we're back at full strengths 00:12:25.389 --> 00:12:27.269 and opportunities present themselves for those 00:12:27.269 --> 00:12:29.610 players to come into that environment they may 00:12:29.610 --> 00:12:31.429 have already had opportunities to play in front 00:12:31.429 --> 00:12:33.529 of big crowds massive motivation as well isn't 00:12:33.529 --> 00:12:34.970 it if you know that's just around the corner 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:38.090 yeah absolutely and i think so we're big on certainly 00:12:38.090 --> 00:12:40.409 for the academy making sure we're doing not too 00:12:40.409 --> 00:12:42.009 much but doing quite a lot with our lads and 00:12:42.009 --> 00:12:44.029 providing them and the girls as well would receive 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:46.330 similar opportunities obviously last year the 00:12:46.330 --> 00:12:48.960 tier one women's status so obviously bringing 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:51.240 the girls' academy from Western Storm and aligning 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.080 our pathways, and it's been a really cool project, 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.899 but providing the players on academies with a 00:12:56.899 --> 00:12:59.340 lot of opportunity, a lot of support, and hopefully 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:01.960 that plays a part in starting to see a lot of 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.460 those players transition and play out there on 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:06.960 that rather, well, currently sandy -looking outfield. 00:13:07.259 --> 00:13:09.179 Yeah, not at the moment, but I know what you 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.360 mean. That is as simple as volume, is it? So 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.039 you talk about opportunities for youngsters, 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:16.220 but in its rawest form, that's enough hours of... 00:13:16.590 --> 00:13:19.250 hitting balls bowling balls being in a cricket 00:13:19.250 --> 00:13:22.149 environment which you take as a given but actually 00:13:22.149 --> 00:13:24.970 takes a bit of resource and skill to to offer 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.309 them yeah it's probably nuanced as well for certain 00:13:28.309 --> 00:13:30.269 people it's individualized for certain players 00:13:30.269 --> 00:13:32.909 because it's probably not as simple as just let's 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:34.429 increase the quantity of what we're doing and 00:13:34.429 --> 00:13:36.269 hope that that works like it has to be high quality 00:13:36.269 --> 00:13:38.610 as well and you might also have players on an 00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:40.450 academy i can think of players in the past who 00:13:40.450 --> 00:13:42.389 coming back to what we were talking about a second 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:44.580 ago like you'd have players that are decent in 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:46.580 other sports that might have other stuff gone 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:48.659 and elsewhere it might be harder for them with 00:13:48.659 --> 00:13:51.120 their school timetables to access and be around 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.700 as much so certainly wouldn't be as simple as 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:55.500 let's provide everyone with loads of stuff and 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.580 hope that that that does the job like it has 00:13:57.580 --> 00:13:59.919 to be high quality but if you can increase the 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:01.639 quality and the quantity of what you're delivering 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:03.340 in a way that still works for the individual 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:05.279 then i think that's that's really important and 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:06.879 hopefully provides them with the best opportunity 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:10.460 and to do that you need a big bank of good coaches 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:13.700 don't you and that's not easy necessarily to 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:17.559 to find or to or to even develop in -house how 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:19.779 do you go about that what do you look at in terms 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.360 of when you're after good coaches to work with 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:25.580 your pathway players what do you look for in 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:28.179 good coaches it's a great question i think it 00:14:28.179 --> 00:14:29.960 probably it probably differs at different levels 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:31.559 of the pathway and i think a large part of my 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:33.899 role now is obviously supporting the development 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.179 of coaches right through our program i've always 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:38.200 been someone based on my personal background 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:39.860 of never having played the game at a high level 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:42.179 it doesn't feel like you need to have played 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:45.179 at the highest level to be able to coach at a 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:47.940 high level that being said i think if you are 00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:49.519 that person you have to have a network around 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.700 you of people that can talk to players and provide 00:14:51.700 --> 00:14:53.320 experiences that they've experienced that are 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:55.519 relevant there has to be some relevance of the 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:57.860 experience of that person at the top end so i 00:14:57.860 --> 00:15:00.039 think having people that can relate to that environment 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:01.740 is important but they still have to be really 00:15:01.740 --> 00:15:04.360 skillful coaches i think as you work through 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.820 younger age groups of the program to be fair 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:08.340 this would be said right through the program 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:10.179 i think things from a coaching perspective that 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:13.220 i'd be really big on how deliberate and how adaptable 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:16.100 are you as a coach? And they're my big two, really. 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:18.519 Deliberate and adaptable. Go on then, tell us 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:21.100 a bit more about that. Well, I think if I flip 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:22.679 that on its head and say, well, what does poor 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:25.179 coaching look like? Okay, for now, and I'll come 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:27.120 back to it. I didn't want to ask that question, 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:29.000 but go on, let's do that. Yeah, no, I'll do it 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:30.519 that way just for now. It's going to be more 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:32.700 entertaining as well. Yeah, well, because I think 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:34.759 it's something that, I mean, there are certainly 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:37.480 challenges in coaching it at times. mean that 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:40.120 this is an easy way to go right but the opposite 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:41.519 of being deliberate would be someone turning 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.419 up sessions with no intentions around what they're 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:45.279 actually trying to work with players on but no 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.620 real objectives no objectives just going to deliver 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:49.600 a session just gonna it might be we're just going 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:51.460 to have a bat v ball session or just going to 00:15:51.460 --> 00:15:53.460 throw some balls at this player and then the 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:55.799 adaptability piece for me would be come hand 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:58.440 in hand with the intention or the deliberateness 00:15:58.440 --> 00:15:59.980 right so if you're being deliberate and you know 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:02.799 what you're trying to achieve then actually how 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:04.519 adaptable are you in terms of having different 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:07.340 tools for the job that can allow you to to solve 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:09.279 the problems from a coaching perspective so i 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.299 talk about hugging the script so i think what 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:13.679 you're saying there is yeah flexibility you turn 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:16.919 up you've got an idea a purpose yeah and then 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:20.039 for whatever reason that doesn't quite hit the 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:23.100 mark and you need to go off on a tangent and 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:24.740 it's whether you're skillful enough to do that 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:26.639 effectively is that what you're saying 100 if 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:29.259 a a poor version of that was someone who would 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:32.019 be really regimented and rigid to one way of 00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:34.080 doing things and if it doesn't work it's the 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.440 player's fault yes i think a much healthier and 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:38.059 a better way of viewing things is that actually 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:39.860 we need to be intentional and deliberate with 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:42.080 what we're doing as coaches we need to be clear 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:43.960 on how we're trying to support players and why 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:47.220 ultimately so they're my big two and i think 00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:51.750 underpinning that if there is a coach who is 00:16:51.750 --> 00:16:54.889 potentially inexperienced but incredibly hungry 00:16:54.889 --> 00:16:57.250 to find out more really curious really passionate 00:16:57.250 --> 00:16:59.269 about developing themselves and also developing 00:16:59.269 --> 00:17:01.730 young people i think they can learn to become 00:17:01.730 --> 00:17:03.549 more deliberate and more adaptable over time 00:17:03.549 --> 00:17:05.829 quite quickly because the things that underpin 00:17:05.829 --> 00:17:07.730 that are their curiosity and their motivation 00:17:07.730 --> 00:17:11.069 so if that's not there i think it becomes more 00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:13.369 challenging but we're always looking to expand 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:15.130 our program and we're always looking for more 00:17:15.130 --> 00:17:18.089 coaches to try and help us do that at times i 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:19.990 think we're finally in a place where we've got 00:17:19.990 --> 00:17:22.809 a decent team and a good pool of coaches quite 00:17:22.809 --> 00:17:24.910 a package isn't it when you list those you've 00:17:24.910 --> 00:17:26.890 basically given us three there haven't you and 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:28.990 that last one we used to just talk about enthusiasm 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:32.450 or passion and now curiosity is a great word 00:17:32.450 --> 00:17:35.430 isn't it but are they genuinely interested in 00:17:35.430 --> 00:17:37.390 developing themselves and developing the player 00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:40.109 and seeing the game developers something that 00:17:40.109 --> 00:17:42.250 yeah it's a non -negotiable now really isn't 00:17:42.250 --> 00:17:45.309 it with coaches yeah I think so I think you can 00:17:45.309 --> 00:17:47.849 definitely see those coaches come through like 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:50.099 people who are I don't know if obsessive is the 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:52.099 right word, but just so curious about everything 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:53.940 and wanting to find out more. Badgers, have you 00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:56.019 asked for that? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there's 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:59.859 definitely a place for that. Anoraks. That real 00:17:59.859 --> 00:18:01.559 love and hunger of the game and supporting people 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:04.380 and seeing and helping players progress. And 00:18:04.380 --> 00:18:07.140 at times almost, I think the deliberateness or 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.099 the intentionality part of it's important, right? 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:11.599 Because I think I would always challenge coaches 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.980 on how well informed are things that are underpinning 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:15.259 the way in which we're doing things, if that 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:16.880 makes sense. So, okay, well, why are we doing 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:19.200 things that way with this player? Is that beneficial 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:20.880 for them in their journey and their development? 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.319 Also from an adaptability piece, OK, what methods 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:25.640 have we got to support that player? How might 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:27.180 that differ to the way in which we're supporting 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:29.940 this player? But how well informed are the things 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:32.720 that we're... And that might not be academically 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.099 informed. It might be from my experiences as 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:36.359 well. I think there's definitely a time and a 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:38.779 place for both. But it might be from my personal 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:41.349 experience as a coach. I've had a lot of success 00:18:41.349 --> 00:18:43.029 when I've done this with this kind of player 00:18:43.029 --> 00:18:44.829 and when I've used this type of practice with 00:18:44.829 --> 00:18:46.509 players that are in this situation or what have 00:18:46.509 --> 00:18:48.670 you. And that might differ to someone else, but 00:18:48.670 --> 00:18:51.869 ultimately it can be personally, experientially 00:18:51.869 --> 00:18:54.410 informed, I guess, but then also... Yeah, there's 00:18:54.410 --> 00:18:56.349 definitely a place for making sure we're looking 00:18:56.349 --> 00:18:58.650 at some kind of more robust evidence -based stuff 00:18:58.650 --> 00:19:00.609 as well. And I'm certainly quite big on that 00:19:00.609 --> 00:19:02.609 as well. One of the reasons it's important, I 00:19:02.609 --> 00:19:05.450 suppose, is because the game moves on so quickly. 00:19:05.490 --> 00:19:07.269 And if you haven't got that enthusiasm, that 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:10.069 curiosity, and you're still churning out what 00:19:10.069 --> 00:19:14.049 was churned out 20 years ago. So where I'm getting 00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:17.529 at here is that your 15 -year -old now will need, 00:19:17.630 --> 00:19:22.329 in 2035... when they're a 25 year old if i've 00:19:22.329 --> 00:19:24.809 got my maths right there some completely different 00:19:24.809 --> 00:19:28.329 skills to what they currently need based on what's 00:19:28.329 --> 00:19:30.250 gone on in the last 10 years how the game evolves 00:19:30.250 --> 00:19:33.529 will mean that coaches have to be curious and 00:19:33.529 --> 00:19:35.829 have to be flexible because otherwise they'll 00:19:35.829 --> 00:19:39.210 quickly be churning out outdated stuff Yeah, 00:19:39.269 --> 00:19:41.569 I completely agree. It's challenging to predict 00:19:41.569 --> 00:19:43.309 what that game's going to look like. Well, that's 00:19:43.309 --> 00:19:45.769 going on in the next question. Well, I think 00:19:45.769 --> 00:19:48.109 it's difficult to do. I think it's very easy 00:19:48.109 --> 00:19:50.930 to assume that it'll be faster, more powerful, 00:19:51.009 --> 00:19:53.430 more dynamic, a lot more short -format stuff. 00:19:53.809 --> 00:19:55.250 And that's because of what's happened the last 00:19:55.250 --> 00:19:57.930 10 or 20 years. Yeah, absolutely. And you would 00:19:57.930 --> 00:20:00.210 assume that it would continue in that vein. I 00:20:00.210 --> 00:20:02.309 don't see a way in which it slows down and reverts 00:20:02.309 --> 00:20:05.089 to more attritional, old -school red -ball cricket, 00:20:05.210 --> 00:20:09.009 let's say. But I think equally... The best approach 00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:10.529 for me is, yes, you need to make sure you're 00:20:10.529 --> 00:20:12.670 supporting players and developing that. But I 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:14.150 think it kind of comes back to what we were talking 00:20:14.150 --> 00:20:16.230 about earlier around problem solving. If you 00:20:16.230 --> 00:20:19.029 are, shout out to Aidan McNulty on this, because 00:20:19.029 --> 00:20:21.089 I stole this phrase from him a number of years 00:20:21.089 --> 00:20:23.970 ago from a rugby context. But he talks a lot 00:20:23.970 --> 00:20:26.329 about skillful, adaptable problem solvers. We've 00:20:26.329 --> 00:20:28.150 spoke a lot here about problem solving and the 00:20:28.150 --> 00:20:30.609 importance of developing problem solvers. If 00:20:30.609 --> 00:20:33.569 the players you are developing, first and foremost, 00:20:33.650 --> 00:20:37.210 are solving and engaging with game -based problems, 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:40.200 and they know what they're trying to do, rather 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:42.599 than just the how of how I'm trying to do something 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:44.900 with no context of, so the how being the technique. 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:46.720 If they're not engaging with the problems that 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.359 the game's setting them, that isn't going to 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:50.859 support them if they're just doing technical 00:20:50.859 --> 00:20:53.059 stuff, I don't think. I think it might be helpful 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:54.640 to a point, but it's not going to be as helpful 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:57.299 as if you can get that balance between I'm a 00:20:57.299 --> 00:20:59.359 player now who knows exactly where my direction 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:01.160 of attention needs to be, I know what I'm looking 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:03.460 for, I know what problems I'm trying to solve. 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:06.859 Well, as the game progresses... then I think 00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:08.539 that's the kind of player who will become more 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:10.299 skillful and adaptable because they're in a position 00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:12.640 to, I guess, remain engaged with the problems 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:14.940 that are being set for them and hopefully be 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:16.839 able to develop solutions to those problems quite 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.119 quickly. It seems like a bit of a cop -out that 00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:21.460 because I've not really given an answer for what 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:22.940 I think the game will look like in the future. 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:25.299 I think that's, if I was to hazard a guess, it 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:28.019 would be more explosive, more dynamic, more power, 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:30.460 definitely. The game's been on that trajectory 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:33.509 for a while now. but actually how are we developing 00:21:33.509 --> 00:21:35.609 the people that can capitalise on whatever way 00:21:35.609 --> 00:21:38.150 the game does go to become more effective in 00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:41.210 any conditions, any ground dimensions, any surface, 00:21:41.269 --> 00:21:44.250 against any kind of opponent, they've got the 00:21:44.250 --> 00:21:46.190 solutions to multiple problems. So it's putting 00:21:46.190 --> 00:21:48.589 in rock -solid foundations into those players 00:21:48.589 --> 00:21:51.579 so they can cope with whatever. circumstances 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:53.779 the game takes them in which will be really interesting 00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:57.000 and I suppose with that in mind and your performance 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.900 analyst background that actually comes in useful 00:21:58.900 --> 00:22:01.180 here but the attention to detail and how you 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:03.400 measure players in each of the areas that you 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:05.619 need to it's interesting isn't it looking over 00:22:05.619 --> 00:22:07.819 the years you talk about power and strength and 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:09.960 speed and it's so much more measurable now than 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:13.299 it was 30 years ago are you seeing players on 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:16.200 the pathway churning out better stats better 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:18.779 numbers on those fronts it's a good question 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:20.859 that i'd have to go to our science and medicine 00:22:20.859 --> 00:22:23.720 department to find out but i mean i'd hope so 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:25.759 i think obviously the ecb a few years ago brought 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:29.119 in the benchmarks for for the more physical side 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:31.119 of things and i think that's been useful and 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:32.900 you know i think it's important that people have 00:22:32.900 --> 00:22:36.119 got a basis or a platform to to go from because 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:38.039 i think they need to right but i also think when 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.599 you're dealing with young players it's really 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:42.559 important to know that that can look different 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:45.680 for different people we we all see late developers, 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:48.140 late maturers. I can think of people off the 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:49.559 top of my head who have kind of gone through 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:51.819 a very different journey than what might be perceived 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:53.900 as the norm from a physical development perspective. 00:22:54.970 --> 00:22:56.789 and it's still being able to support that player 00:22:56.789 --> 00:22:59.150 who might not physically mature until they're 00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:01.490 beyond the top end of the pathway, if you know 00:23:01.490 --> 00:23:04.069 what I mean. So number crunching and data collection 00:23:04.069 --> 00:23:07.529 is good, but if you just slavishly follow that, 00:23:07.609 --> 00:23:09.750 it could be potentially you might miss a few 00:23:09.750 --> 00:23:12.210 because of that. Yeah, 100%. And I think that's 00:23:12.210 --> 00:23:14.430 one area where within the pathway we're quite 00:23:14.430 --> 00:23:17.839 big on collecting. data and numbers would be 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:19.940 to inform our growth and maturation stuff but 00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:21.680 i think sometimes people's perceptions of that 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:23.619 are where you're just trying to identify all 00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:25.700 the big kids that can go on and hit it miles 00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:28.259 or all of the six for eight bowlers that definitely 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:30.240 isn't the case i mean it can give you information 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:33.779 on predicted adult height or what stage of maturation 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:36.380 they're currently at but the latter one there 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:38.019 the stage of maturation is a really important 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:41.930 one because ultimately we can all relate to working 00:23:41.930 --> 00:23:44.190 with players who six months down the line from 00:23:44.190 --> 00:23:46.150 when they were doing stuff really nicely they 00:23:46.150 --> 00:23:47.950 might be all over the place in terms of balance 00:23:47.950 --> 00:23:49.730 they might be dropping catches that previously 00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:51.890 they were catching easily they might just be 00:23:51.890 --> 00:23:53.369 doing stuff that seems quite out of character 00:23:53.369 --> 00:23:55.369 but if you know that that person's going through 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:58.250 phv and is having a significant period of growth 00:23:58.250 --> 00:24:00.490 and all of a sudden things have become a lot 00:24:00.490 --> 00:24:03.089 more challenging for them that information can 00:24:03.089 --> 00:24:04.630 actually allow you to support their development 00:24:04.630 --> 00:24:07.170 more appropriately so that'd probably be one 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:09.349 of the most important areas with from a pathway 00:24:09.349 --> 00:24:12.019 perspective where we would collect data it certainly 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:14.339 wouldn't be you know if someone was to get a 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:17.380 rookie contract and come off of an academy they 00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:19.579 shouldn't be significantly behind people that 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:21.400 are already in that program they should be starting 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.059 at a really nice place when we're making really 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:26.460 important decisions for players how things can 00:24:26.460 --> 00:24:28.559 go in the future you need as much context as 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.119 possible and a lot of that could be Some of it 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:32.960 might be data and numbers, but some of it might 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:34.980 actually just be sitting down and having conversations 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:37.420 as a group or with the player or with the family 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:38.980 to understand what's going on for that person 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:40.880 at that time, because you might be seeing stuff 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:43.059 in sessions that... seems out of character and 00:24:43.059 --> 00:24:44.640 what have you and actually having a better understanding 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:46.559 of things beyond that is is really important 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:49.920 so yeah that's kind of the way i see that right 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:51.859 well you better go and get your hard hat on and 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:54.099 your high -vis jacket and get down into the indoor 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:56.039 school and help get it sorted out is that is 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:57.579 that a part of your remit or you don't have to 00:24:57.579 --> 00:24:59.019 get too involved in that i presume you're not 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:01.680 on the scaffolding no thank you thankfully not 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:04.230 no that's um Yeah, it's a bit beyond me that 00:25:04.230 --> 00:25:06.549 one. But no, looking forward to getting in there 00:25:06.549 --> 00:25:09.109 when it's ready. And yeah, another exciting winter 00:25:09.109 --> 00:25:11.269 ahead. Like we've got set up within our pathway 00:25:11.269 --> 00:25:13.869 now from a staffing perspective and having some 00:25:13.869 --> 00:25:15.789 really good people in some really key roles and 00:25:15.789 --> 00:25:18.039 having... the phase lead model that we've gone 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:21.000 to I'm really excited for what the the winter 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:23.140 looks like getting new people in coaches but 00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:25.519 also players that re -energizes you doesn't it 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:27.220 whenever you get a new group of people in it 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:29.660 energizes yeah and I think that that naturally 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:31.920 been a really interesting last sort of 12 months 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:33.779 really I've loved it but it's obviously been 00:25:33.779 --> 00:25:35.839 the first 12 months in my current role which 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:39.299 obviously is head of pathway coaching and Since 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:41.880 the tier one women's status was announced in 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:44.299 the Western Storm becoming Somerset women, there's 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:45.880 been a huge amount of change at the club and 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:48.140 new people coming from that organisation to our 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:51.279 organisation and a large restructure and different 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:53.019 people in different positions. I think we've 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:55.660 got, I think, 15 full -time roles within our 00:25:55.660 --> 00:25:58.220 pathway staff across science and medicine and 00:25:58.220 --> 00:26:01.599 coaching and administrative roles as well. 14 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.240 of those people were in new roles. last year 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:07.200 or within this the last 12 months so it's been 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:08.960 a huge amount of change but it's really exciting 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:12.119 and and yeah i think we're in a position now 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:14.319 where we can really hopefully have a big winter 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:17.200 and start the next cycle for next year and some 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:19.460 new players like you said some new coaches in 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:22.180 and a lot of energy and I'm really looking forward 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:24.079 to that good stuff well look thanks very much 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:26.240 Griff for taking time out and yeah good to catch 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.980 up with you cheers pleasure thanks for coming 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:30.500 down too Andrew Griffiths the head of pathway 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.500 at Somerset with Tim Dellor that's it for this 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:36.079 episode of The icoachcricket Podcast thanks 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:36.700 for listening