Congratulations to the University of Lincoln Women’s Football Club whose first team finished an unbeaten season with promotion as champions of the BUCS Women’s Midlands Tier 3 league! The School’s students have long featured prominently amongst the team’s players and officers and this year has been no different, with Charlotte Hindmarch (BSc PE & Sport) as President and Savannah Evans (BSc PE & Sport) also on the Committee.

The contributions from the School have not been limited to the playing side, however. Steve Lynch – Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the BSc Sport Development & Coaching – has guided the squad as First Team Coach, and has also overseen the provision by students of coaching and sports science support. This support has arisen from the School’s partnership with the Student Union on the Science Practitioner of Team Sports (SPOTS) and Coach of Team Sports (COTS) programmes, and the Women’s Football Club’s success has showcased the mutual benefit that these schemes were set up to offer to sports teams and the School’s students.

James, Jack and Oliver providing support at the season finale. A specialist tripod, borrowed from Lincoln City, has enabled footage to be recorded from a novel perspective!

Steve has been assisted on the coaching side by BSc Sport Development & Coaching students Jack Banham, Charlotte Akester and Oliver-Jon Wheatcroft, and Jack reflected on how his role has benefitted his development as a coach:

“I have really enjoyed the experience and responsibility of assisting Steve with warm-ups, games and training sessions with the 1^st team as well as taking control of 2^nd team games. I also feel as though I have been able to put into practice many different things learnt from my course in those training sessions. I think that the experience this year has definitely helped my confidence as well as the standard of my coaching.”

Performance analysis has been provided to the team, for the first time, by James Lamport (BSc Sport & Exercise Science) and Garyn Whiffen (MSc Sport Science). James and Garyn have filmed the team’s matches and prepared analysis reports for the coaches and players, and James explained how this has helped reinforce his career aspirations as a performance analysts and the skills required to follow that path:

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside the football team this season; having a lecturer (Steve) there to direct and set targets for us to reach has been a real bonus. In regards to the performance analysis side, it was great to get hands on with software in a more industry-based environment; it was a great opportunity to experience a role that could, in the future, become a career path to follow. At first it was something that interested me, but after being involved in the setup it has confirmed to be something that I want to further and make a career out of it.”

Well done to all who have been involved on the support staff, but especially to Steve Lynch for overseeing their activities and mentoring the students so expertly. Reflecting on the partnership and the support model it represents, he said:

“It has been a wonderful experience working with the players and students, all of whom have shown how invested they have been in seeing the team achieve. With specialist knowledge and support in sport science, coaching, sports therapy and strength and conditioning, it must be an objective for the School and the Student Union to develop provisions in these areas for individual athletes and sports teams to flourish in their respective leagues and competitions. I look forward to working with the new Women’s Society President in September to further enhance our reputation and give players and sports students an immersive experience as part of their time studying with us”.

Update 08/06/22: Congratulations to Steve for winning the Michael Beard Award – for Coach of the Year – at the 2022 Swannys (the Lincoln SU sports & activities celebration)! https://twitter.com/SteveLynch_UoL/status/1534534827575320579?s=20&t=eL23c7Q0Kytq2wYQ6xmfJA