Matt Hampson inspires on Level One coaching course
Paul Bolton
Former England Under-21 prop Matt Hampson is among the latest coaches from the Midlands East region to join the RFU’s Coach Licensing pilot scheme. The former Leicester Tigers player has used a wheelchair since he broke his neck in an England Under-21 training session in Northampton in March 2005 but he has just completed his RFU Level One coaching award at Loughborough University. Hampson, 24, was one of 24 coaches on the course which required a total of 24 hours of work in a classroom on the astroturf pitch at the university. Kerry Major worked alongside Hampson as his coach educator with Brian Hesford, who first coached Hampson when he was at Longfield High School in Melton Mowbray, the course tutor.
“All the others drew from him,” Hesford said. “Several of them came up and spoke about it afterwards to me, and I know they spoke to the other coach educators about how much it meant to them. The major challenge for Matt is the communication skills to project his voice.” Hampson has already cut his teeth as a coach helping with the forwards at Oakham School in Rutland where former Leicester captain Ian Smith is director of rugby. Having achieved his Level One award Hampson becomes one of the licensed coaches in the Midlands East area – which covers Leicestershire, East Midlands and Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire.
“Achieving his Level One therefore achieves his licence,” Hesford said. “Each year he’ll do some continuous professional development and coaching courses and maintain his licence. Then he has the opportunity in a couple of years time to do Level Two if he wants.” Hampson is the second client of the RFU’s Injured Players Foundation to gain a Level One coaching award in recent weeks after Alan Evans, a former Oswestry prop. Evans gained his coaching award a few weeks before Hampson.
