David had played cricket since boyhood and had a background in coaching prior to coming to University, but choose to study a business-related subject for his degree.

On graduating, David started to apply for jobs in the City, but, to keep himself busy while he tried to secure a post, he began coaching again in schools. Feedback from his City interviews indicated that he was a strong candidate, but that interview panels sensed that he wasn’t really passionate about PR and Media. Seeing his coaching commitments growing and enjoying the work, David decided to take the plunge and become a self-employed coach.

David secured the opportunity to coach Kent’s under-13s girl’s team and, after working with them for a year, was offered the opportunity to coach the adult women’s team during the summer and winter. He absolutely relished the challenge, so was delighted to be offered the role as their main coach. Asked how you succeed as a professional level coach when you have a background in PR and Media, David says: “Coaching isn’t about teaching the team about how to play – the technique. They’ve got to a level where they know that. What you need is a coaching philosophy. Be clear about the outcomes you want, focus on getting the best out of every player and understand how the to get the buy into your philosophy through the team working together and feeding off each other.” David particularly works on inspiring confidence in the team and helping them overcome the fear of failing. “We all fail at some point”, he says. “At some point you are going to be out in cricket. In life we might fail an exam or not get a job. Learning how to cope with failing is a necessary part of learning how to succeed. Think of failure as a vehicle to long term success!”

In addition to training the adult women’s team, David is Head of Club Development for the West of Kent, Head of Talent Development in the Girl’s Pathway, Batting Specialist Coach and Joint Under-17s Coach. He has also recently collaborated with two friends to set up his own cricket coaching company, Top Cricket Academy