My Greatest Achievements as a Hockey Coach

I am often asked in my travels and when I am doing workshops and speaking to fellow coaches what are some of or what is my greatest achievement as a Coach? You know what my answer is to that questions, I am still to achieve it.

Now why do I say that, well any good sports coach worth what they do, is always looking for the next mountain to time, the next goal to reach for, you should never be content with everything you have done, because once you become content, that means its time to get of the Coaching stage. Now don't get me wrong so far in my hockey coaching career, I have achieved a great deal, but I am not yet content with this, I am constantly looking for the next challenge, reach for the next goal, chasing that next dream, reaching for that next star.

So I guess that now moves us on to what some of those achievements have been along the way, well I guess the premierships rank right up there and I have three of those-

2001- Old Guildford Under 15's, Premiers, Minor Premiers and Challenge Cup winners, undefeated season.

2010- Newman Nights Provisional 4, Premiers, this was a great achievement as we came from 4th to win the flag.

2015- Manly Hockey Club Women's 1's- Premiers, Minor Premiers, undefeated season, first time in the finals in 8 years for any team at the club.

2015 with Manly was particularly tough, as that mid-season I suffered a massive personal trauma, when my I lost my beautiful partner, who I was set to marry, in tragic circumstances, when she was taken from this world and from me. It was hard to continue, but I new this, that she would not have wanted me to wallow in self pity, and that she would want me to pick myself up, and get on with what I luv doing. An to this day I know and I do believe she was riding all the way with me to our win that year, and during the Grand Final she was there to keep things calm.

Now besides the Premierships what else have been achievement for me, well it would have to be the chance to Coach to state teams so far to National Championships, one with Victoria and one with the Australian Capital Territory, yes interesting isn't it neither with my state I was born in Western Australia. There has also been the many junior representative sides that I have had the chance to coach to-

South East Sharks (Victoria) Under 15's JSC and Zone Challenge finished 3rd and 5th.
Peel Hockey South West Carnival Team which went on to win
Peel Hockey Club Championships Under 15's Team which went on to win.

But despite all that, to me some of the greatest achievements I have had so far are things like taking a novice player at the beginning of the year, and developing them over the course of the season in to a good hockey player. Watching young player develop into strong hockey players is another of the achievements i am proud of.

But at the end of the day my greatest achievements are yet to come, and these are things like-

- Coaching overseas.
- Coaching at International level
- Coaching the Australian Hockeyroo's to the Olympics and winning gold.

So once again I say to all Coaches out there your greatest achievements are often yet to come.