Harry Adey

Throughout the summer of 2024 I worked an evening a week coaching inexperienced cricketers aging from 6-10 the basics of cricket. While doing this, I was able to expand my coaching that I started in football and translate skills from football to cricket. I took on a slightly more hands on role at All Stars being a joint lead coach and often working with people 1-2-1 or in a small group to help focus on these individuals skills and what they needed to improve on. We helped these young people develop both individual skills and team activities to help them understand the importance of teamwork.

I Worked as an assistant football coach at JK coaching from the age 13-16. This was my first job whilst in school and this helped me develop basic to moderate coaching skills working alongside more experienced coaches and shadowing them to improve my knowledge in case of when I was required to lead a session on my own. I learnt skills such as Learning strategies which can be translated from training into real game scenarios. As well as this I also acted as a role model and behaved in the correct manner so that if any of the kids felt sad or confused about anything i was someone they could approach and talk to about whatever was going on.

Alongside working through the week, I was also playing semi-professional football for Midhurst and Easebourne football club. We would train every Thursday and play matches every Saturday and often on Tuesdays as well. By playing at step 5 of the non-league pyramid i was able to learn about the skills and tactical analysis required to play at this level, along with the specific detail people look into and what my managers and teammates helped me learn and improve the finer details needed to play and sustain myself at this level. After playing for Midhurst for two years, I got injured and have now dropped lower down the leagues in order to play consistent football and help myself to continue improving in order to go back and play at this level again in the near future.

In 2021 at 15 years old, I made my debut for Fernurst cricket club 1st team. Fernhurst Cricket Club were playing in the I'anson division 1 league at the time, which is the highest the club has ever competed at. As a 15 year old at the time this was the highest level of sport i had ever played at. I was required to quickly adapt to the requirements of playing for 45 overs in the sun without losing concentration or becoming distracted. This helps me now as I am able to remain focused on the tasks in front of me whilst being able to always perform at my peak level in whatever I am doing.

After playing youth football, I made my men's debut at 16 for Liphook first team. Usually people will play for the reserves team however I went straight into the first team as they believed I was ready to compete at a higher level. By making this jump straight from playing with other 16 year olds to going to playing with fully grown men while I was still in school, it meant that I had to quickly adapt to the fitness and strength levels. By playing with these adults they helped me learn a true meaning of team work and what it takes to be a successful team and this is where I first learnt the real impact winning has.