Sport Coaching student wins prize for outstanding contribution to volunteering

This year, Solent's coaching staff were pleased to nominate Rebecca Marshall, BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching, for this prestigious prize. CIMSPA, the sector's only Chartered Institute, is tasked by the Government and industry-leading employers to ensure those working within the sports sector have access to quality assured training, qualifications, and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities. To be nominated, students must have completed a CIMSPA-endorsed degree, actively engaged in enhancing their employability skills, performed strongly in placements, accessed industry-based professional development, and independently developed external contacts.

Rebecca commented: “Being acknowledged for my hard work is extremely rewarding and valuable, allowing me to truly realise the effort I have put into my learning whilst at university”.

Before starting university, Rebecca had limited experience working in sports, although she competed in the niche sport of motorcycle Sidecarcross. Noting the lack of coaching in her sport, she was inspired to create a coaching career pathway for herself. Despite beginning her degree during the Covid-19 national lockdown, Rebecca was determined and, as soon as the country reopened, she worked hard to gain real-world experience.

Rebecca was the first person to ever secure a placement year at Motorsport UK and one of the first women to complete their new driver coach certification programme. This placement allowed Rebecca to work with many aspiring motorsport drivers as a coaching coordinator, giving her behind-the-scenes insight into the pathways available for athletes striving for success. During her placement year, she also worked as a fitness coach for Formula 4 drivers across the UK. Since returning, Rebecca has continued to volunteer in various coaching roles, particularly in strength and conditioning.

Reflecting on her Motorsport UK experience, Rebecca said: "Working as a driver performance coach in Formula 4 allowed me to gain an insight into the world of strength and conditioning within motorsport. Each driver had an individual programme they could complete at home, on the move, or at headquarters. I analysed how programmes changed from practice to racing and used this information for my university assignments and the strength and conditioning sessions I delivered for both the university netball and cricket teams."

Course leader Adam Lewis explains why Rebecca was nominated: “Rebecca was nominated because she is an outstanding student, highly capable, independent, an aspirational performance coach, and a fantastic female coach who should be a role model to other Solent University students. Not only did she gain first-class honours in BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching, but she also exemplifies real-world learning with her proactive attitude towards placements."

Despite a busy final year of studies, Rebecca continued to volunteer in numerous coaching roles, particularly in strength and conditioning (S&C). She assisted in coaching sessions for a Formula 2 driver within the University of Southampton's high-performance programme, led her own weekly S&C sessions for two Solent University sport teams, and mentored students in assistant coach roles, guiding them in training program design, coaching skills, reflection, and feedback.

Rebecca was also a course representative in her final year, helping to shape course improvements and promoting the merits of placements to first and second-year students. Rebecca will be enrolling this September in the MSc Strength and Conditioning programme at Solent University to continue her professional development, with the aim of securing a higher-level job in performance sport coaching.