In her first year as head coach Owolabi helped UEL Ladies achieve promotion, so with the season now finished we wanted to check in with her and what her thoughts on this past season were and if she wants to return to coach at UEL.
University of East London netball coach Bisi Owolabi is an experienced netball coach that has been working alongside the women’s first team in netball, while also being a performance lead coach at the local netball club in Leyton.
The Past Season
How has training the UEL netball team experience been for you?
BO: “It has been positive as I’ve enjoyed getting to know the players and the different personalities. I have also found it challenging coaching the group because of some inconsistencies in attendance which makes session planning difficult.”
How do you think the season went this year?
BO: “It’s been successful, a lot better than I anticipated. It was wonderful to have the support of the captains with communicating to the players and the team won a good majority of matches which is always a positive.”
What has been your favourite part of the season this year?
BO: “When players ask me questions about how they can improve… attending the matches and watching the players being successful and transferring the training session to the match. The players that have started to attend training sessions at Leyton NC to continue learning about the game.”
Were there any difficulties you faced as a coach this year?
BO: “The player numbers and inconsistency of attendance was one and upon taking up the role, I made it clear that I had to leave each session at 7.30 pm due to prior commitments.”
“I always found this a challenge as it’s not a great way to coach by leaving the session before the end. At the start of the season, I had to comprehend the role of the captains held at training because they’ve not previously had a coach and working that through.”
Which players do you think improved/ progressed this season?
BO: “Most improved players for me include Sandra [Maduoma] and Gemima [Eshimu Massamba].”
Plans For Next Year
Are there any expectations for next year’s squad?
BO: “I have not been asked to return next year and therefore have not given this much thought. The co-coach and I have met and considered how we may approach next season should we be asked… We are currently thinking of how it may look if we did return.”
“If I am asked to return next season, I would need to set my expectations from the very start to ensure there is a meeting of the minds from the coaches and players.”
Learning New Things
What had training the UEL ladies taught you as a coach?
BO: “Training UEL has taught me about patience and spending time to cultivate relationships with the players. The motivation levels of the players attending training varied, therefore, I learned that I didn’t need to spend time with detailed planning, but more of an overview was needed. I enjoyed the relationships being built with the players more than the actual coaching delivery as I feel that this is where I made the most impact.”
You worked alongside with another coach as well? How much impact did she make this year?
BO: “The co-coach [Sherelle Mitchell] was a major support and help during the sessions. I really wanted to use the experience to support their coaching aspirations and development, however, I don’t believe that this was fulfilled. I in fact reflected on this with her and it would need to be a consideration if we did return to coach another season.”
“Having the co-coach was supportive and was a positive experience for me. The Co-coach and I became closer and learned a lot more about each other.”
