The WRCRA is excited to be partnering with Jess Bunyard, a coach, educator, and writer.
Jess was the editor of Women’s Rugby Coach, a great publication out of the UK. In that role, she graciously contributed monthly drills to the WRCRA. Women’s Rugby Coach is no longer in production, but Jess has taken her energies for coach education in a new direction with her blog, Coaching Care Creativity.
Jess is a true student of the game. She really thinks about the vast diversity of experiences players bring to a team and how to break the game down into appropriate learning chunks for all those diverse learning styles. Her stuff is great. Jess also brings some serious coaching chops to the field, including serving as Head Coach of Women and Girls Rugby, Coach Developer, and Men’s Section Coach at Huddersfield Rugby Union Club.
The WRCRA is excited to collaborate with Jess. We’ll feature her blog in the Kathy Flores Library and work with her to explore concerns that WRCRA members raise. So, dive into some great blogs, and let’s get the conversation rolling.
Jess Bunyard Interview:
Where do you live?
I currently live in Huddersfield in Yorkshire, UK
Occupation:
I do a mixture of roles all involving rugby/sport. I work part-time for my club (Huddersfield RUFC) as a community coach. I get to go into schools and deliver rugby within girls lessons. I also do some teaching for Leeds Beckett University within their School of Sport, where I’m also undertaking a Professional Doctorate in rugby union coaching. Alongside this, I write articles and publish them in a newsletter and site using Substack. There is a paid subscription people can take out, they get the same content as the free subscribers so that everyone can learn and access the content regardless of income. The paid option is there so that if people want to and are able to support me, they can (for £5 a month or £50 a year)
Tell us a bit about your playing days:
My playing days were a while ago. I played at a few clubs. One of the most memorable was Brockleians in London. I played there whilst I was studying for my BA and MA. I had a lot of fun at that club and was made to feel part of the family. I mostly played at tighthead prop, but also at loosehead. I also spent one game playing at No.8 and a very odd 10 minutes at fullback!
How did you get into coaching?
I started coaching as an assistant coach for the University of Huddersfield Women’s first XV. The year after I joined, I was made Head Coach. The second I started coaching, I loved it.
Tell us about the teams you've coached and what you like most about coaching?
I’ve coached within a few environments, including university, club women’s, club men’s, pathway coaching, and as a guest coach for a touring side called the Penguins. Coaching the Penguins was fun. It was a short tour, and that meant we had about 4 hours in total on a training pitch together before the team played. Empowering players and seeing their confidence grow is one of the best things about coaching.
What's been the most surprising to you about the evolution of women's rugby in the past few years?
One of the most surprising aspects is that I still think we’re a long way from diversity and change away from the playing pitch. However, I think the evolution on the pitch helps drive the change in other areas.
What do you think coaches most need in terms of support?
I love the support network I have as a coach. It’s a space for me to trial new ideas, to lean on people, and to reflect. I think we should help coaches create good support networks around them (both official and unofficial). I also think a new approach or a re-think about coaching qualifications are needed. I don’t think qualifications that use a tick-box approach provide contextual learning or have a positive impact on coaches.
What do you think are some of the significant differences between British and US women's rugby?
I think the number of female coaches is vastly different. I think the number of female coaches and the support they get in the US makes me very envious sometimes. Numbers are increasing in the UK, but I always think we can do more to support coaches that aren’t the traditional model of rugby coaches. However, that’s not a problem unique to the UK.
What inspired you to start your blog? How has it been received?
I wanted to create a space where I could explore different avenues of coaching. This includes being more player-specific (female health topics or coaching newer players for example), alongside exploring what care and creativity means to coaches. There’s different articles including from guest contributors and myself. Having a remit of player-specific, care and creativity means I can delve into a range of topics.
Tell us about your 'non-rugby' life
Most of my life is rugby! However, outside of coaching and watching rugby, I play video games and watch films. It’s important to enjoy downtime away from rugby, and I find that engaging with other media helps me be more creative in my coaching.
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