Michael Wood is a final year University of Birmingham undergraduate from Tywyn, Wales. In 2021, he co-created a hockey coaching service that offered 1-2-1 training, hockey camps and sessions for junior and adult hockey players, working with beginners right through to junior internationals.
field hockey academy came about in January 2021 when myself and a partner had
enough of coaching for other companies and giving sessions we didn't believe
in.
drew in a high number of players. Following our launch we partnered with Ludlow
Hockey Club where we held a number of successful camps and clinics, gaining
recognition in the local newspaper
We decided to set up the academy so we could give hockey players in the
Midlands the opportunity to be coached by international players in a set up
that ensured all players received detailed coaching with a max of 8 players per
coach.
A typical day ran alongside
my degree in American & Canadian Studies. Most days involved responding to
parents and the admin that comes with running hockey camps.
booking venues, running social media pages, organising camps and thinking of
new venues and ways to grow the brand. On days where we were running camps
duties shifted more towards more coaching but also the safeguarding of kids
that attended the camps.
faced was the response from other coaching companies in the area. Many old
school coaches are very territorial with many making it difficult for new
coaching companies to break through.
this and secure a number of venues that were keen to have us coach there.
on how to start something from scratch but the main takeaway was how it feels
to run something 7 days a week and how to manage customers.
The Samak Field Hockey Academy is still running however, I no longer have any involvement with it after relocating to a different part of the country. I am still in touch with those who run it so often keep tabs on how it is going.
subscription service that specialises in welfare support for local, town and
parish clerks and employees.
clerks is often disregarded with many working in an unacceptable environment.
56% of clerks reported being bullied in the workplace. This being double the UK
average of 23%. With the importance of mental health becoming more and more mainstream now is
an ideal time to push the importance of workplace welfare on UK Councils.
feel I am in a good position to launch the Welfare Company due to many of the
things learned from starting the Samak Field Hockey Academy. I appreciate the
academy was only made possible due to the support of the Ideas Fund so I am
very grateful towards the University of Birmingham as without the fund I wouldn't be in the
position I am now. Confident in starting my own official business.
Added by Bob Lee
