Roses Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma shares how beneficial coaching across multiple sports can be to become a well-equipped and dynamic coach, from her recent experience coaching Arsenal students.
Taking place at City Sport, London, Sonia tells us what it was like to coach a group of footballers in their first ever netball session:
“It was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Arsenal Football Club for Coaching Week. I led a session of 36 of their Level 2 and 3 Sport students with a focus on introducing them to netball – an entirely new sport for many of them – and highlighting the valuable crossover between netball and football coaching.
“To start, I gave the students a brief history of netball, showcasing how far the sport has come. This context helped them understand its significance before we moved into the practical elements. My main goal was to create a memorable and engaging experience, and I made sure everyone was actively involved from start to finish.
“We began with dynamic warm-up drills and moved into small game-based activities. The session also covered the basic rules of the game, shooting techniques (which quickly became a crowd favourite!), and ended with a mini adaptive netball tournament. The enthusiasm and energy from the students was incredible, and it was great to see them embracing a new sport with such openness.
Participants benefitted greatly from the session, with one student remarking: “Honestly, it made me realise that netball is a lot more fast-paced and fun than I first thought. I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much, but once we got going, I found myself really getting stuck in. It pushed me outside my normal comfort zone, and that’s where I learned the most. Being coached by someone with that level of experience made it even better – she had us focused from the first minute”
(Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The theme of this year’s Coaching Week from UK Coaching is #PassItOn, encouraging those in and around the coaching community to share their learning with each other to inspire new ways of collaborating. This experience of cross-sport coaching is one Sonia firmly believes in the power of and sees it as a great approach to passing on coaching skills and styles to others.
“As a young coach, I firmly believe in the importance of being able to coach across multiple sports. Understanding cross-sport structures allows coaches to develop a more diverse toolkit of technical and tactical skills. It also enhances their ability to teach and adapt across different sporting environments.
“My personal journey has shaped this belief. I’ve always been active, playing a variety of sports under coaches with different styles. I played volleyball and basketball at a college level in the U.S, and the skills I gained through netball were instrumental in helping me transition and excel in these new disciplines. So I’ve experienced firsthand how transferable skills can lead to success across sports. I have personal experience working with young people to lead multi-sport groups. Keeping sessions fun and engaging is crucial – especially with young athletes. So I regularly incorporate drills and games from various sports to keep things fresh, dynamic, and educational.
As the participants were Sports students, coaching is familiar territory to them, but netball not so much. From a cross-sport coaching perspective one student commented: “It broadens your understanding of what coaching can look like. Netball is different from football, but the coaching fundamentals – engagement, communication, intensity – are all there. Seeing how the coach applied those principles in a different context has made me think more creatively about how I coach. It also reminded me that being a good coach means being adaptable.”
Sonia wraps up the collaboration with: “Overall, this session with Arsenal was a powerful reminder of how much can be gained from stepping outside your primary sport. Whether you’re an athlete or a coach, cross-sport learning has the potential to broaden your perspective and deepen your impact.
Do you have a similar coaching experience or story you want to share this Coaching Week? Head to our Facebook activation here to #PassItOn to the Netball Family!
