Scottish club coaches earn top qualification

Two leading Scottish club coaches have completed the highest available coaching qualification in the country.

Currie Chieftains Head Coach, Ben Cairns, and Director of Dundee Rugby, Colin Sangster, have gained the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) Level 4 qualification, delivered in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and sportscotland.

The coaches started the course in August 2016 and will take their expertise into the 2018/19 season where their teams will play in the Tennent’s Premiership and Tennent’s National League Division 1, respectively.

The course takes a minimum of 18 months to complete and aims to increase the standard of performance coaches by developing outstanding and knowledgeable decision makers who are better placed to advance their own, and others, learning.

Ben Cairns said: “I’ve really enjoyed the course. The variety of modules and the process itself has really made me reflect upon my practice, has informed future practice and has generally played a big role in my development as a whole.

“I’d like to thank all the staff involved in the course at Edinburgh Napier University and Scottish Rugby who have supported me throughout.”

Colin Sangster said: “I am delighted to have completed my UKCC Level 4 course.

“It has been two years of hard work, but I have learnt a lot about myself and developed a much broader range of knowledge that I can bring to my coaching processes moving forward.”

Previous graduates of the course include Scotland 7s Head Coach, John Dalziel, and Glasgow Warriors Assistant Coach, Kenny Murray.

The remainder of this year’s group of coaches, including Scott Forrest (Head Coach of Scotland Women 7s) and Nikki Walker (Assistant Coach of Scotland U20) are currently undertaking the course and are expected to finish before the end of the year.

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Training and Education, Neil Graham, said: “Ben and Colin have worked extremely hard over the past two years and fully deserve the prestige that this qualification gives them.

“We are committed to nurturing Scottish coaching talent through this qualification and we hope to see many more coaches at different levels undertaking it in years to come.

“Our work with Edinburgh Napier University and sportscotland has enhanced the development opportunities for Scotland’s up-and-coming coaches and we aim to continue that well into the future.”