Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu - Adorn the birds with feathers so it can fly
Club Champs 2024 saw our C.O.D.E-F Wāhine coaching, playing, or both across this year's tournament. An important piece of the story to share is that Kim Smith the (C.O.D.E-F Facilitator) was in a position this season where Mary Edmonson (Mezza) who was a participant in this programme was her Club Coach. This is what Kim had to say when we asked...
"What was it like Kim as the C.O.D.E-F Facilitator with Mezza who was a part of the programme as your Coach this season?"
"I was so excited to be coached by Mezza. Every training was sooo fun. We were always challenged to switch our brain on instantly. Mezza trialled individual works ons this season and made the time to have chats with what and how each person would work on these. This transparency was great the whole team were able to support each other to get better at their work on. Mezzas game plans at tourney were on point!! She would spend a bit more time at the gym to ensure she was happy with our game plan. She used a whiteboard and if something on the plan changed she would change it here too.
I loved how Mezza and Sarah (Also C.O.D.E-F Alumni) continued to work closely together. They initially did observations on each other during the C.O.D.E-F programme and they supported each other sitting on each others benches during Season and into Nationals as much as they could. Mezza really valued having a sounding board and for Sarah to be watching for something in particular so that Mezza could just focus on the overall game." - Kim Smith SVC Silverbacks Women's Player
Mezza shared how important the collaborative approach with her senior players was this season. "We work very collaboratively so Kim, Petra, Gab… would suggest a different drill or a change of direction and often we would go in that direction. Ultimately I guess it was my decision as to what we would do as their prime focus was their game."
Here are some of the other insights shared by C.O.D.E-F alumni, highlighting how the lessons from C.O.D.E-F influenced their approach to this competition.
It Takes a Village.
Just listen and ask, because it takes more than a village to coach a team. - Mary Edmonson, SVC Silverbacks Women Coach
Player-Led Time Outs and Enhanced Game Strategy
Theory-Driven Training Sessions and Season Structuring
Building a Stronger Community
Boosting Confidence and Tactical Decision-Making
The learnings from C.O.D.E-F gave me a huge boost in confidence as a coach. Even though we had a tough season, I felt more secure in my decisions, particularly when it came to calling timeouts and understanding what needed to be communicated during those breaks. Asking more questions of the players allowed me to dig into their decision-making processes and gave me new tools to use in high-pressure situations. A proud moment came when we won our semi-final—a tight match where we came from behind in every set, including a dramatic 5th set where we were down 13-11. After the game, a player from the duty team congratulated us, and I was moved when they mentioned how great it was to see a female coach leading a team to victory. - Treena Blythe Tauranga Tigers B Women Head Coach
More Information About C.O.D.E-F
In July 2023 Kim Smith and Volleyball New Zealand were successful in receiving funding through High Performance Sport New Zealand Women in Residency programme. The coaching programme was targeted towards women coaching within the national pathway or those with aspirations to do so in the future. CODE-F was designed as a coaching programme for women, by women. It focused on the key elements of it being responsive, bespoke and participant-focused. The structure of the programme was research-informed and had key focuses around visibility, confidence, capability and building a strong network to feel connected to. The following coaches were successful in being part of the first cohort
At the conclusion of the year-long project: 46% of C.O.D.E-F group are now coaching in national programmes 66.7% indicated they will be applying for national coaching roles as they arise as part of their next steps.
