Two Hawke's Bay coaches have completed the first year of a three-year High Performance Sport New Zealand Coach Accelerator Programme.
Hawke's Bay Magpies head coach Craig Philpott and Central Hockey High Performance coach Greg Nicol completed their third and final four-day camp for the year in Dunedin last week. NewZealand under-20s head coach Philpott and former Black Sticks men's and women's assistant coach Nicol were selected alongside Northern Mystics netball team coach Debbie Fuller, Netball New Zealand High Performance coach Helene Wilson, Waikato Regional Performance Centre for Rowing New Zealand assistant coach Dan Kelly, High Performance Athletics coach Debbie Strange and Snowsport New Zealand snowboard coach Sean Thompson and former Breakers basketball team head coach on this year's intake. Vickerman withdrew when he returned to Australia.
Philpott said it has been beneficial working alongside a mixture of elite coaches who operate up to Olympic Games level.
"It's refreshing and so different from the rugby related courses we go to. These courses deal with the art of coaching."
"I'm the fifth rugby coach to be selected in eight years and the others have gone on to be pretty successful."
Prominent coaches who have graduated from the programme include All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen, Silver Ferns netball team head coach Janine Southby and Black Caps cricket team coach Mike Hesson. Accelerator aims to increase New Zealand's pool of world-class coaches.
During the three years the seven coaches receive individualised professional development programmes which include access to coaching mentors. Philpott's mentor is former New Zealand cricketer Bruce Blair who coached Northern Districts from 2001 to 2006 and works as a coaching services advisor at the New Zealand Academy of Sport in Hamilton.
