Waz, What Makes You Tick?

Learning from success - getting to know the winners of the 2020 Coach Core Awards. This edition: Wasim Collins, Tutor of the Year

By James Burbidge · 14th January 2021

We got in touch with our 2020 Awards winners to try to learn from their success. What makes them tick, and is it the same kind of thing, from apprentice through to tutor? We put the same 5 questions to each of them to find out.

First up: Wasim Collins. Waz won the Tutor of the Year award for his work with our Tyne and Wear programme.

 

1. What made you want to get into this role?
I had been working towards a coach development role for the past 4 years. Initially I had no plans to get involved in coach development as coaching was my thing. But when I got my first taste of coach development as a volunteer coordinator for a sports coaching organisation (Hat-Trick) and I really enjoyed the experience. I then gained my education and training qualification and tutored at Northumbria university with StreetGames. Mentoring coaches and opening up opportunities to allow them to get their foot in the door in the coaching world. When this opportunity arose with Coach Core I jumped at the opportunity to be able to make CD my focus and was the right step for myself. To be able to work with young aspiring coaches and guide/mentor them through their journey.

 

2. What’s the highlight of your (work) week?
The highlight is definitely working with aspiring and hungry coaches and being able to see first hand their development and growth. When you see the young people having light bulb moments and knocking down barriers it’s super rewarding to be part of that process.

 

3. Who do you ask (or where do you look) when you want to know more about something in the sector?
Colleagues! I have fantastic colleagues who come from all sorts of backgrounds from community to professional sports. I have built a really good relationship with Gordon (Derbyshire CC tutor) and we have bounced of each other so much and he has opened my eyes to professional sport and I have opened his to community sport.

 

4. What’s one thing you would change about the sector if you could?
Create more opportunities for employment. We all know sport is probably the most competitive sector to get involved in and it’s clear running these programmes that more young people want in. But there is not enough jobs/opportunities especially in local areas for young people to not be disheartened when their hard work isn’t rewarded with an end goal of full-time employment.

 

5. What’s your favourite sporting moment?
Professionally – Watching Newcastle in the European football. I haven’t witnessed this since a kid but bring back those memories of beating Barcelona at the Nou Camp and holding Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Personally – Winning the league cup with North Shields Community Christians Football Club where I played alongside two work colleagues at the time, so to share the moment with people close to me was incredible.