thedevelopmentinnings

Hello, my name is Dan Such, but everyone knows me as Suchy! I have spent my life in sport, specifically cricket and I have had some amazing experiences that have shaped me and how i see the world, as a player, a coach, an umpire, and a teacher. So here is a little timeline of some of the big dates of my journey.

2001 – MY FIRST CRICKET GAME. AGED 8 

2003 – MY FIRST SELECTION FOR COUNTY – REPRESENTING WORCESTERSHIRE YOUNG CRICKETERS, AGED 10.

2005 – THE GREATEST ASHES! DISCOVERING MY TRUE PASSION FOR THE GAME.

2009 – ATTENDING KING EDWARD VI SIXTH FORM COLLEGE – my first move towards a career in sport – choosing psychology, PE and human biology for A Levels. Here I could see my pathway into sport and saw a future in the industry.

2010 – WORCESTERSHIRE CRICKET TOUR TO ST LUCIA – this became my last games for Worcestershire and started my journey into coaching. An unforgettable experience of living away from home with a team for an extended period, training and playing everyday. Living the life of a pro-cricketer! Also, experiencing team support through the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of a tournament away from home. Winning games, morning fitness and training, playing under floodlight and surviving hurricanes!

2012 – COACHING BADGE # 1 – UKCC LEVEL 1 CRICKET COACH. & CRICKET UMPIRING LEVEL 1.

2011 – the start of University and the end of the playing dream. September saw the start of my 3-year degree in Sports Coaching Science, where I would find my passion for coaching and gain experience in coaching within disability environments, performance analysis and performance pathways.

2012  – UKCC LEVEL 2 CRICKET COACH & CRICKET UMPIRING LEVEL 2.

2013 – 2 big experiences for me!

FIRST COUNTY COACHING POSITION – Through placement at University, working as an assistant coach at an U14’s tournament week.

FIRST ANALYSIS ROLES – Intern roles with Warwickshire Cricket and Stourport Ladies Hockey, recording and coding training and games for analysis before competition.

2014 – GRADUATION # 1 

2016 – MY FIRST FULL TIME JOB – A teacher of sport/health and social care at a sixth form college. Didn’t think I would ever go into teaching but understood the need to develop my skills and earn a living! Joined an industry similar to coaching were my skills as an educator can still be used in an effective way.

2017 – SETBACKS AND CHANGES – after 1 year in teaching, I realised that this industry wasn’t for me at this point and I wanted to go back to coaching. So when I unfortunately was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my back that kept me off work, it was time to move on and take a dive

2017 – APPOINTED BY WORCESTERSHIRE CRICKET BOARD AS A COMMUNITY COACH – even though i took a serious pay-cut, I realised my mental health was more important, and my passion for coaching would make me perfect for this role. Here started the next 5 years of my life in the game I love!

2019 – MY FIRST PROMOTION – Unfortunately due to a colleague falling ill, i found myself leading the counties’ schools programme, working with Chance to Shine and the board to provide cricket for everyone across the county. A big jump up in requirements and one I look back on with pride that I was able to do it, but also understanding that I needed more development to become even better in the role.

2019 – UKCC ADVANCED COACH LEVEL 3 STARTED (completed in 2022)

2020 – COVID AND ANOTHER CHANGE – As we headed into this tricky time, I found myself spending a lot of time alone with my partner in our flat as the world fought this battle. However, during this I had the chance to take on a new role, leading the education programme at the Board, focusing on the training and development of coaches across the county. This is where my love for supporting coach development began! And continues to this day!

2020 – Completion of Coach tutor qualification, making me eligible to tutor on coaching courses across the UK up to level 2.

2022 – A NEW CHALLENGE – Another plunge for me, leaving my role at Worcestershire to take on a new challenge at the University of Worcester, taking a Studentship role where i was able to start supporting the development of our MSCI in cricket Coaching and Management degree, whilst completing my Masters in Sports Coaching, taking my coach knowledge and tutor knowledge to another level.

2022 – ACCEPTANCE AND COMPLETION OF UMPIRE TUTOR TRAINER

2024 – MY FULL TIME DREAM AND GRADUATION #3 – After the completion of my masters degree, my life was turned up through the appointment as Lecturer at the University of Worcester, a full-time position that has started a platform for me to develop my next chapter!

2024 – ACCEPTANCE AND COMPLETION OF TASS ADPL Accreditation – providing me with skills to help support players on and off the pitch and across a variety of sports.

NOW WE GET TO THE NOW AND THEN – 4 years into our masters journey, the desire to help the world of sport burning stronger than ever, and the beginning of this blog. Where I can begin to get some of these learning episodes on a platform to open discussion!