The partnership will provide Indiana’s youth coaches and educators with the opportunity to participate in a free workshop to help develop youth-oriented coaching skills.
Ball State University and Indy Eleven have partnered to provide a professional development opportunity for the state’s youth coaches and educators. The opportunity has been made possible through the Coach Beyond–Indiana initiative, a statewide initiative led by the university, which focuses on providing guidance to youth sports coaches about topics like mental health and abuse prevention.
According to an article on Ball State University’s website, Dr. Jerry Reynolds, who serves as an associate professor of social work and as the director of the Coach Beyond–Indiana project, was quoted as saying of the opportunity, “This event is about investing in the adults who shape young people’s experiences in sport and in life. We’re excited to team up with Indy Eleven to equip coaches with the knowledge and tools to make youth sports more inclusive, more positive, and more impactful.”
On August 2, prior to the Indy Eleven’s evening match, a free workshop will be held at the Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The workshop will be focused on helping youth coaches develop techniques to empower young athletes through positivity and inclusivity. Youth coaches who participate will receive both a free ticket to the Indy Eleven game that will take place later in the evening, and Professional Growth Points for their licensure requirements.
Greg Stremlaw, the president and CEO of Indy Eleven, said, “We are proud to support this initiative with Ball State University and welcome youth coaches and educators to Carroll Stadium. Coaches play a critical role in the development of young athletes, and it’s a privilege to help provide this resource to our local communities.”
The Coach Beyond–Indiana project, according to a blog post on Ball State University’s website, aims to “bring free coaching resources to schools, teams, and organizations within the entire state of Indiana.”
In that blog post, Reynolds explained the name of the project, saying, “One of the reasons it’s called Coach Beyond is because the whole idea is we want coaches to coach beyond the X’s and Os of the game. We know that they might know their game very well or they know their sport, or they know their team very well, but are they equipped to know the things that will help them be more successful? When I say success, it’s not connected to wins and losses, it’s about how they feel as a coach.”
Coach Beyond–Indiana is led by Ball State University in partnership with The Ohio State University’s LiFE Sports Program and the Susan Crown Exchange.
For more information about Ball State University, visit the school’s website.