COACHES NEED SUPPORT

I was interested in your Welcome article in Sea Angler issue 542 about coaching, and agree with you that it could be funded by clubs, associations and tackle companies.

Along with a club colleague, I completed Level 2 coaching in spring 2016. To pass Level 1 and 2 cost me £660, not including travelling and other sundries. Then I had the expense of, for instance, a first aid kit, throw ropes, and accident books. We applied for grants from various bodies, including the Angling Trust, and eventually received £100 from our local county council.

Until the end of 2016, I was the representative for junior anglers for a region of the Angling Trust, and had been a commitee member dating back to the days of the National Federation of Sea Anglers. I resigned from the committee due to what I saw as a lack of support.

The same organisation sits on a bank balance, and I found that at no time was it prepared to finance anybody with coaching or courses.

Along with two members of the committee, I have represented the region at boat jumbles, and was involved in two ‘introduction to sea fishing’ events at for a local council.

We are now going to put all our energy into our junior club section, which we have been running for six years, and a local school for children with special needs who we take fishing every week.

Charter skipper Arthur Savage, of Private Venture, took the school kids out for a free charter out of Lymington just before Christmas.

There are a lot of tackle shops in our area, plus the general public, unions and companies prepared to finance events for youngsters, but not the people you would expect should be doing it. Mike Judge, Warren Boat Club AC