In May, the second edition of the English version of the Master in Coaching will kick off after the first group of students received their diploma last November. To facilitate the participation of international students, this English Master program has a different structure than most Master programs: The student coaches participate in an intensive study week in The Netherlands once every three months.
Kate Gentile, softball coach at an American university, was one of the first group: “The on-campus sessions were an amazing experience. Each day brought something new; a new perspective, a different point of view, a personal challenge. I gained more insight into my own patterns and mechanisms. I think that I was aware of them before, but never had them so clearly exposed. Beyond simply exposing them, I learned how it is to recognize them, without falling into them. This is something that I will continue to work with in my everyday life.”
Kate Gentile (left) presenting with James Rowe
Johan Cruyff’s vision of football and coaching had an impact in the entire world: “I think the most important thing in coaching are your eyes, what you observe. In the first place, you have to know yourself, what are you capable and not capable of? The next step is that you coach somebody else,” Johan said. Therefore, this Master in Coaching program is not only about the technical and tactical sides of coaching, but focuses mainly on the coach him/herself: who are you as a person, what are your pitfalls and how do you want to develop yourself? “You can only coach others when you know how to coach yourself,” said Johan.
Alumnus Brett Rosenberger shares this vision. “I think that if you want “to become” a coach, you shouldn’t choose this program. This program is suited to coaches who have worked in the field for some time and have begun to realize that the next level as a coach does not lie in specific drills, tactical formations and so forth, but rather in connecting and maximizing relationships and potential in players and staff. If you want to take that next step, then this is without doubt exactly where you need to be. I felt I found a greater sense of balance with myself as a coach and gained many new perspectives on how to get more out of the players in front of me.”
Brett Rosenberger (right) with fellow graduates
The initiator of this Master program, Henk Groener, explains: “When we started the Master in Coaching in 2009, there were hardly any programs in the Dutch sports industry focused on the role of the coach. At Johan Cruyff Institute, we offered the Master in Sport Management, but a program for coaches was missing.” Because of the success of the Master in Coaching program, worldwide interest arose, which made the Institute decide to develop an international edition.
MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
The Master in Coaching is suitable for anybody who is seeking more self-knowledge and self-development to improve as a (sport) coach or manager. The English edition starts in May and the Dutch edition in September. Visit the website of the Master in Coaching for more information.
