James Farrell of Cushendall has been the head coach of the RYA NI Youth Squad for seven years and has been recognised for his fantastic coaching performance in producing four out of a total of nine sailors representing the British Isles at last Decembers Laser Radial Worlds. Two of his charges were sailing for GBR and two for IRL.
At a ceremony hosted by Coaching NI and Lucozade Sport which aims to honour the outstanding contribution that coaches make to the promotion and development of sport across the country, James was awarded the prize in the ‘underage’ category.
James was delighted to have been honoured .
“I am amazed to have received this award. It has been a pleasure dealing with talented and dedicated young sailors. There’s a great sense of achievement when I see the success of sailors such as Debbie Hanna, Russell and Mat McGovern, James Espey, Ryan Seaton, John Beattie,Kylie McMillan, Rory Murphy - some of whom will hopefully be Olympic contenders in Beijing or in London. However I would not omit the achievement of any of the sailors from the squad, who have improved their standing in the sport and most importantly have developed into fine young adults. All the team are to be congratulated, from Lisa in the office, to the other coaches in Youth and junior coaching, as well as the clubs and parents who support the sailors and of course not forgetting Bill O’Hara, our HPM who has guided us all over these past few years”.
Coaching NI, formally known as the NI Institute of Coaching (NIIC), is a “not for profit” company set up by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland in 2001. Based at Queen’s University, Belfast, Coaching NI is the lead body for the development of coaching, coaches and sporting volunteers in Northern Ireland.
