ASSISTANT COACH VOLUNTEER NEEDED
| Job Title: | Assistant Coach |
| Contract: | Voluntary |
| Hours: | 10 hours per week (36 weeks) |
| Department | Essex Sport |
| Responsible to: | Head of Basketball Performance |
| Closing Date: | 3rd September 2023 |
| Interview Date: | 8th September 2023 |
| Start Date: | 11th September |
| Enquiries to: | Susy Davies, Performance Sport Manager [email protected] |
ESSEX SPORT
At Essex Sport, we have a mission to positively enhance and change for our University campus community through sport. We provide a diverse range of inclusive and innovative sport, fitness and physical activity services for our community that looks after their physical and mental wellbeing. We don’t just welcome the already sporty; we focus on breaking down barriers to activity to make sure sport is accessible for all. We want individuals thinking about joining us to be passionate, ambitious and not afraid to think differently about the transformational benefits that sport, and physical activity can provide.
ESSEX REBELS
Over the next 5 years, we have an exciting ambition to become the leading sport institution in the region and boast the UK’s leading student fan experience.
The Essex Rebels started life after an elevation to the professional ranks of the WBBL at the start of the 2018-19 season, with the Essex Rebels men’s team playing in the NBL Division 1 for their 3rd year. Both our Men’s and Women’s team compete in the BUCS Premier League South, with our Women’s team winning the league titles for the last 5 years and most recently being crowned BUCS National Champions in March 2022.
Essex Rebels basketball now encompasses a complete pathway from schools’ engagement, children’s activities, a junior club, and academy, through to our senior women’s and men’s teams, establishes as having one of the leading University basketball programmes in the UK. The Essex Rebels franchise now also proudly boasts two sports with the men and women volleyball teams recently joining the Rebels franchise family in September 2022.
Essex Rebels game days are at the heart of our fan experience, with us now having the highest level of spectators for our home games of any other WBBL team. Not comfortable with resting on our laurels, we are now looking to further expand our fanbase by expanding our audience reach amongst the local community, as well as supporting our new student supporter section ‘The Tribe’ to engage more students with our representative teams.
THE TRIBE
‘The Tribe’ is the new University of Essex student supporter’ section, the first to be launched in the UK, with the aim of creating a unified identity for our Essex representative teams. The Tribe has the aim of becoming the loudest, proudest, and most inclusive student section in the country that will give our Essex sport teams the home advantage, no matter where we play, or who we play, encouraging a culture of attendance and making the gameday experience at Essex truly unforgettable.
JOB DESCRIPTION
As a Volunteer Assistant Basketball Coach, you will play a vital role in helping our athletes reach their full potential. Reporting to the Head of Performance Basketball, you will assist in planning and conducting practices, developing game strategies, and fostering a positive and inclusive team culture. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on coaching experience and make a meaningful impact on the performance of the women’s program.
The candidate must be organised, reliable and be prepared to demonstrate that they can work as part of a team in a fast paced and exciting environment. Ideally, we are looking for someone that already has some experience coaching, but don’t worry if not. What’s more important is that you have an interest and passion in this area and you are enthusiastic when it comes your own development.
DUTIES OF YOUR POST
- Assist in planning and leading engaging and skill-focused practice sessions.
- Provide individualized coaching and feedback to players to enhance their skills and understanding of the game.
- Collaborate with the coaching staff to create game strategies and prepare players for competition.
- Foster a positive and inclusive team atmosphere that promotes sportsmanship, teamwork, and personal growth.
- Attend team meetings and other relevant events to further your coaching knowledge and skills.
WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU?
- A full induction to give you the information, skills, and confidence to prepare and undertake your role.
- Gain a unique experience, insight and understanding of working within professional sport environment.
- Mentoring and support from the Essex Rebels Manager and Head of Basketball Performance to assist personal and professional development
- Essex Rebels uniform to wear whilst undertaking job duties
- Enhance communication skills working with a diverse set of different audiences.
- Enhance leadership and employability skills through practical work experience.
- LinkedIn reference and endorsement
- Make a difference to the student sport and Essex Rebels performance
PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS
| Essential | Desirable |
| Must be a current University of Essex student. | Currently studying Performance Sport and Coaching |
| Good communication skills. Outgoing, confident, and enthusiastic about engaging with students. | |
| Reliable, professional, and punctual with excellent attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines. | |
| Passion and interest for basketball and coaching. | Familiarity with Essex Sport, Essex Rebels and Students’ Union programmes and services (e.g., BUCS) |
| Good time management skills & the flexibility to fit the role around your study. | |
| Ability to think creatively as well as being confident in generating new ideas with team members. | |
| Good administrative skills and open to learn new software/applications to assist coaching tasks. | |
| A willingness to be flexible – for example attending gamedays on Wednesday evenings and at Weekends. |
HOW TO APPLY
If you think you’re what we are looking for, please submit a copy of your CV, accompanied by a short 300-350 word supporting document or a short 1-minute video telling us a little bit about yourself, what you are passionate about and why you feel you would be ideal for this position. Submissions to be made via email to the Essex Rebels Team at [email protected].
The closing date for completed applications is midnight on Sunday 3rd September with interviews being held on the Friday 8th September.
If you have any questions about the role or the hiring process, please email Susy Davies / Ashley Cookson [email protected]
