Personal details
David Piggott, age 33, senior lecturer in sports coaching, lives in Lincoln.
Qualifications
PhD in Sport & Leisure Policy, BSc in Sports Science, Level 3 basketball coach, YMCA Advanced Gym Instructor, SAQ Trainer.
Experience
2010-present: Coach, Lincoln Stars
2008-2010: Coach, University of Lincoln Lakers
2003-2006: Coach, Loughborough Students Cardinals
1998-2002: Coach, Lincolnshire Wildcats
Narrative
I began coaching aged 15 when my PE teacher volunteered me for an after-school sports leaders programme. I remember being immediately hooked and quickly came to realise that I had a bit of a talent for leadership and instruction. At college I continued to learn my craft, through A-level sports studies and various coaching qualifications. I took my CSLA and basketball and football level 2 awards before I was 18 and was coaching on community sports programmes and schools at every opportunity. Before going to university, I coached an U16 football team for a season – a very steep learning curve – and worked with disadvantaged kids on outdoor basketball courts all summer. Arriving at university, I was lucky enough to start working immediately with the newly created county basketball club, the Lincolnshire Wildcats. On another steep learning curve, I took over as head coach after one year and spent three seasons coaching the U18s in the national league. I have since managed to maintain a relatively high standard of coaching with national league and university teams, with the occasional work-related breaks. I have always managed to retain a fairly wide repertoire in my coaching, working with young children through to adults at a range of levels. In the last few years I have become more and more interested in learning and development and less and less interested in performance coaching. But in this country, unless you’re working with professional or national teams, I don’t think it’s sensible to take any other attitude.