Q&A with Coaches Network Manager Karl Hoade.

Karl Hoade has worked for Lions Sports Academy for a little over a year. We thought it'd be good to catch up and find out how he's found his first year with us.

How has the first year been?

I joined as a Talent Acquisition Officer, responsible for recruiting coaches and welcoming them to the pride! I then became the Coaches Network Manager.

Although I was still recruiting coaches, my main responsibility was now to place coaches into new roles our sales team secured. It has been a challenging yet rewarding role.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was placed on hold and communications ground to a halt. When I first came back after being placed on furlough leave, it felt like nothing had changed. The coaches were eager to get straight back into work and I was working hard to get them there. These last few months have easily been the most challenging but by far the most rewarding.

I am now connected to all our coaches on a personal, as well as professional, level. This has made it easier to find them suitable roles. 

I can say with confidence that the coaches we have working now, are thoroughly enjoying their roles. 

What will the next year hold for you?

I have recently taken on additional responsibilities in Operations Management, alongside my colleague Joe Garner. The next year will be busy - met with plenty of new challenges and hopefully more success.

I hope to recruit more coaches, placing them into new roles and creating new relationships with schools and clubs.. Bring it on!

What moment in the last year sticks out for you?

The moment which immediately jumped to my head was my first 'New Coaches Taster Session' I ran back in October 2019.

We had plenty of roles available and plenty of coaches at the taster - two of which have gone on to become two of our most loyal coaches; James Leggett and Ollie Cross.

That session set the benchmark for the future. It's coaches like James and Ollie that we strive to recruit. I've put in a lot of time organising taster sessions and finding new coaches to welcome to the pride. Moments like that really make the job worth it.

I'm hoping for many moments like that to come. We've more taster sessions like that coming in a few weeks, I hope they will bring the same success.
 

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