Leader of the pack
Kate Nicholls is the inspirational coach of the Witney Wolves Special Educational Needs team.
In UK Coaching Week, there’s no better time to hear from the Head Coach of Witney Wolves, Kate Nicholls, who says the role is so rewarding that she can’t understand why more coaches don’t seek to run Special Educational Needs (SEN) teams.
Having done a community sports leadership course in sixth form and taught youngsters tag rugby, Kate decided to rock up in her pink boots when Witney RFC asked for volunteers to coach her son’s team.
Now with Sam in the U11s, brother Jack in the U8s and Edward in the U6s, Kate has taken over coaching the Witney Wolves. The club has senior and junior squads offering touch and tag rugby to SEN players, as well as Witney Wasps for the club’s youngest members. SEN rugby, she says, is addictive because her players’ passion for the sport is so boundless.
It’s amazing stuff!
“These players know that their power comes from being part of a team. You might have one player with autism, who can compete with the club’s Academy players for speed and skill, combining with a team member who can’t make it down the pitch or hold the ball without physical support from a coach. That first player will run the ball down the pitch and wait at the tryline for his team mate to arrive and then hand him the ball to score the try. It’s amazing stuff.”
The three coaches who started the team and coached the Wolves for 10 years were looking to hand over the role when Kate found herself on a coaching course with two of them.“I didn’t know them as they used to train the Wolves on the first team pitch, which I couldn’t see from our minis and juniors pitches. They got me involved and now I can’t imagine doing anything else. I managed to persuade John Hughes to stay on with me from the original coaching team - he’s the real unsung hero of the story, and backbone of the Wolves.”
Jeremy Bristoe, another of the original trio, moved to Northern Italy and, having seen the hugely positive impact rugby had on SEN players, wanted to set up a team at his local club, Mirano. Last year Kate took the Witney Wolves there on tour.
“Rugby is just extraordinary. We couldn’t speak Italian, they couldn’t speak English, but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t have been more welcoming - we showed them what we were all about, we ran a session with their U12s, and a coaching session with coaches from the local area who hope to get the new SEN team, the Mirano Dragons, off the ground. Everyone had a fantastic time.”
With husband Matt in the Merchant Navy, Kate’s three boys are part of the Wolves’ support team and get a lot from helping out. Their mum is passionate about integration and says the other minis and juniors coaches at Witney are keen to pitch in, and age group teams often train with the Wolves.
Witney RFC 100% support
“Everyone at Witney RFC supports us and I can always call on other coaches when I need them. Despite everyone’s own hectic schedules, they get behind us 100%. Andy Bee, our Minis & Junior Chairman and Steve Dee, our M&J President, are amazing, and have been instrumental in making the Wolves very much part of the club, and not just a team on the periphery.”
“Now we are looking forward to getting back to training. Lockdown was hard on my players. My sons and I were doing virtual sessions from our garden to keep the team going, but the Wolves are desperate to get back on the pitch and probably need their rugby and the club more than most."
Kate was selected, via Mitsubishi volunteering rewards, as one of a group of coaches to coach a session in front of Eddie Jones last year.
“I had just done my Level 2 and Eddie was so inspirational,” says Kate. “He really drills home the idea that it doesn’t matter what team you are coaching, you as a coach are there to serve the players, to make sure they have the best possible experience in the safest possible environment. He told us to keep things simple, and that common sense approach really gives you confidence. I came away feeling like I’d spoken to Yoda!
Lucky to coach Wolves
“If you want to see the core values in action,” says Kate, “look no further than my players. Respect and sportsmanship are big things with them as they know how it feels to be the ones left out. As for teamwork, they understand better than most that their strength lies in operating as a team, by working together as one unit. They might face more challenges as individuals, but in turn they know how to make the most of the combined talents they have got as ‘the Wolves’. And when it comes to enjoyment – no one brings the fun like the Wolves! I think they remind the rest of the club what it is we all play rugby for – the sheer joy of it.
“It’s such a privilege to serve these players, to see how much they can achieve. Currently, I’m looking to get one of my senior players to take coaching qualifications as he’s so great with the younger players. The Wolves might be lucky to have found a home at Witney, but in truth, we are the ones who are lucky to coach them.”
Best in the world
Theresa Clark, mother of James says: “He’s been playing tor 10 years and wakes up with a smile on his face on a Sunday because he will playing rugby with his friends. James is severely disabled but plays rugby with all his heart and soul for the Witney Wolves. The coaches adapt the training and games to include him in every activity. If you ask him who is the best rugby player in the world he will point to himself.”
Said 23-year-old Charlie Radford, who has played since 16: “It’s given me confidence and a can do attitude to help other people with disabilities, the opportunity to meet people similar to me. I’ve become a lot more confident (and bossy). Witney Wolves has made me who I am today.”
And team mate, Connor Harding, summed it all up: “The coaches are happy and that makes me happy.”
