Case Studies
Each Case Study reflects a wide range of delivery in a variety of areas of sport and business. As you will see, case studies range from lecturing to coaching, reflecting the different clientele SCD Southwest Ltd caters for.
BUSINESS SEMINAR AT WINNINGTON PARK
BUSINESS SEMINAR AT WINNINGTON PARK
On Saturday 11th July Brian delivered a business presentation to managers / owners at Winnington Park Rugby club as part of a Business / Rugby day.
The presentation was about Defining a strategy and articulating it throughout an organisation. It included practical examples of success and failure in Brian’s career and of other people in various walks of life who Brian has worked with and for.
The whole morning ( two hours ) was very much interactive as in these situations the attendees often have fascinating stories of their own to tell that can illustrate or give a different slant on a point raised.
Most interest seemed to surround recruitment of both management and employees to drive a vision forward ; how are teams within teams allowed to operate ( or not ! ) within the vision ; and how employee centred should an organisation be to achieve it’s full potential ?
The second part of the presentation was to be centred around Management by Instinct but unfortunately time just disappeared ! Maybe a return visit is in order to continue what was a morning full of lively debate and creative thinking .
Independent Schools Coach Education
Brian has worked for and alongside Neil Rollings the Director of the Independent Schools Coach Education, delivering presentations to individual and groups of schools on a variety of topics concerned with approaches to teaching and coaching pupils from the ages of 6 to 18.
Neil said of Brian:
"Brian is the ultimate coach educator. He has a profound understanding, not just of the game, but also of the mindset of the coach. He refuses to tell coaches how to do it, but challenges them to think about the game in a unique way, and to come up with their own answers. Never a slave to conventional thinking, he has a talent for making the game both simple and exciting for player and coach alike"
Strength and Conditioning
University of Bath Strength and conditioning coaches
Brian was invited by Kate Eddy head of Strength and Conditioning to conduct a series of workshops with all the S&C coaches at the University of Bath. The workshops were designed to look at and challenge the way the coaches operated and how this may be improved. The workshops proved very stimulating and certainly changed the thoughts of the coaches on how they could most benefit the Athletes in this area of preparation.
I just wanted to pass on a big thank-you on behalf of the SPY Programme Team for your presentation(s) at the Residential Week. All the informal comments and forum postings have been really positive. The students have been commenting on the value of meeting and chatting to 'experts in the field' face to face, and particularly raving about the guest speakers! They found your sessions both interesting and helpful to their practice - and I personally can vouch for this to. Thanks again - sharing your experience and expertise was a privilage for the programme team and students.
Sonya Moore
Physiotherapist
Director of Studies MSc Sports Physiotherapy
University of Bath.
UOB Tennis Academy
University of Bath Tennis academy.
The Tennis academy is headed up by Barry Scollo one of the brightest young tennis coaches in the country. He has invited Brian to present to his coaching team and also work individually with the coaches. Brian and Barry have worked closely together on coaching philosophy and developing the mental side of the game for young players.
'Brian has had a huge impact on the tennis coaching team here at TeamBath. He has reminded us of core coaching values and how he has implemented them at the very highest level. Brian has helped develop the mental skills training, which has been crucial to the success of the TeamBath Tennis High Performance centre. Personally speaking, Brian has helped me manage and organise one of the best performance Tennis Academies in the country.
Barry Scollo
Director of Tennis
TeamBath
Town Clerks, Nottingham
Town Clerks
Brian was invited to make the keynote address at the annual conference of the Town Clerks of England and Wales at the Belfry Hotel Nottingham. He talked about his views on what it means to perform to win.
I'm just writing to 'thank you' for your major contribution towards our conference last Friday which clearly covered many of the similarities between our two professions, going by responses from delegates. In fact 51% of the delegates rated the overall event as 'very good' whilst the remaining 49% awarded a 'good' category.
It's never easy being 'first on' but you managed to enliven the audience with a mix of stories, intermingled with how you tackled your role, using your infamous 'High level performance individual check-list' which I'm sure will receive many airings!
Mike Page
Assistant Chief Executive,
Member Services
SLCC,
The Professional Body for Local Council Managers
Professional Supportive Innovative www.slcc.co.uk
IRANZ
International Rugby Academy NewZealand
Brian was head hunted by Murray Mexted (Ex All Blacks No.8) to lead the high level performance coaches course in Palmerston North in NZ. IRANZ has been operating successfully for 8 years and collects together coaches and players from all over the world in intensive 2/3 week work periods. Brian had the good fortune to catch up with and work alongside Graham Henry (All Blacks Head Coach) and two of his staff during his stay. He is also due to head up the Coaches courses in the USA and South Africa later in the year. Keep up to date with this on Brians Blog.
I would like to thank you for making the two week course a memorable experienced. I have particularly enjoyed your presentations, and also your way of thinking on the way the game should be played. Here in SA we are very defence orientated and I am one of the minority that preach attacking rugby. I have learned a lot from you and I hopefully that will continue in the future.
Hannes Esterhuizen
PUK RUGBYINSTITUUT
JUNIOR RUGBY
Hope all is well and hope you had a safe trip home. Just a quick email to say thanks for the course. It was great spending time with a coach of your caliber and I've certainly learnt a lot. I can already feel a difference in my coaching as I'm trying to incorporate SCD into every session - very challenging though!
Regards
Elwee Prinsloo
Innovative Sport Specilaists
Take a look at the IRANZ newsletter by clicking on this link www.internationalrugbyacademy.com
http://createsend.nvinteractive.co.nz/T/ViewEmail/r/0C501356232C4BFF/6586A810449F921CD9767B6002735221
ECB
England Cricket Board
Brian has resumed his role as a lecturer on the top level ECB coaching award this year. This years topic for the level 4 award was on Integrated Management – the selection, organisation and management of a support team in high level sport. A practical session was also taken at the high level performance centre at Loughborough University with the level 4 attendees that involved decision making, creating order from chaos and focusing on individual leadership.
He is also at this current time discussing further work with the ECB involving field based coach education with Directors of county cricket.
It was great to catch up with you again at Burleigh Court last week. We have already received some very positive feedback about your session and very much appreciate your support with our programmes.
Gordon Lord
Head of Elite Coach Development
TeamBath Netball
TeamBath Superleague Netball team
As part of his consultancy work with the University of Bath Brian has taken a special interest in the coach education of Jess Garland the TeamBath Superleague coach. They have worked closely together to develop a challenging and different approach to a group of players who operate at a very high level of performance (8 of the squad are full internationals). The TeamBath side won the Superleague this year with 18 victories from 18 games!
TeamBath's Head coach Jess Garland said:
"It had been great to have the opportunity to work with Brian this season in his new role at the University. I remember first talking with Brian (I didn't know him) outside of the gym at the STV what must have been weeks before the Rugby World Cup. We were running some England Netball Camps and I was so taken a back by how interested he was in what we were doing.Here was a guy bulding up to the biggest compeition in his sport and he was genuinely keen to hear what we were up to in Netball. He struck me then as a very honest, enthusiastic and genuine man with a clear passion of both sport and Coaching.
Since working with Brian this has all been confirmed and I share a common intrigue and fascination in the role of Coaching and how I can better myself to benefit those around me, mainly the athletes. He brings new and creative ideas to the table but with a remarkable simplicity in his approach. A very down to earth, no nonsense attitude that is full of passion and energy. It has been a refreshing experience working and talking with Brian this season and it is without doubt that both myself and the players that I work with have benefitted from his experience in the Coaching world."
Rugby Football Union
After leaving his position as Head Coach of the England Rugby Senior team Brian was offered a consultancy role with England Rugby.
This position revolves largely around coach education within the elite and community departments and is delivered to groups and individuals on a countrywide basis.
Just a short note to say a big thank you for the session that you did at Newbury last night. It is the first time that I have witnessed 150 coaches watching a session in total silence for over an hour trying to hang onto every word.
The verbal feedback has been very good and Gavin was delighted with the way the evening went as were all the RDOs and staff.
Your delivery indoors was so refreshing and underlined what the coaching department have been delivering through our coach education courses and I could see many links. One of my great treasures is a hand written letter from a certain Brian Ashton when you were the England Colts coach in the early 1980s. You wrote to all Colts Coaches (I was coaching the RN Colts) requesting that we move away from the set piece and look at liberating our players. The letter sits in my in tray and sad as I am I use it to underline what coaching is about when I need some inspiration.
Will Feebery | Coaching Development Manager
Oxford University
In July 2008 Brian was approached by Steve Hill Director of coaching at Oxford University Rugby club with a view to helping the Oxford Blues team leading up to and including the 2008 Varsity Match. This was an enjoyable and challenging experience in a unique rugby environment where success or failure is judged purely on the outcome of one game. Oxford won for the first time in four years 33 – 29 in what was described as one of the best Varsity matches ever played at Twickenham!
Brian Ashton's work with Oxford University praised
Former All Black captain Anton Oliver praised former England coach Brian Ashton for his work with Oxford University this autumn following the Dark Blues sensational 33-29 victory over Cambridge at Twickenham in the 127th Varsity match.
"Brian Ashton has been fabulous for our team," said Oliver, 33 whose appearance at Twickenham could possibly be his last major game of rugby as he sets his sights elsewhere.
"From what I've heard and read when this game comes around most players go into their shells but Brian has been on our case all the time saying 'Have a go and if it's on then play it.'
I just wanted to thank you for the significant contribution you made to the Varsity campaign this year. The work you did with Steve and Boydy was absolutely fantastic and was reflected in the confidence we had in our game plan and abilities, and ultimately the positive manner in which we performed on the big day. It was a privilege and a pleasure to meet and work with you and I am glad we gave HQ a show they will be talking about for a long time to come!
Peter Clarke – Captain Oxford
Brian Ashton
Blog
Real talents don't need coaches they need the freedom to shine 29.05.2010
I am interested to see that a namesake of mine – my surnamesake, to be precise – has been voted Premiership Player of the Year, not least because he operates ...
News & Events
Jason and Brian together at Fylde 26.07.2010
World Cup rugby union winner and Great Britain rugby league legend Jason Robinson OBE, who has thrilled crowds in both codes all over the world, is once more ...
