Women’s and Girls’ Pathway Coach Jonny Waite has just had a week of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) while coaching at the prestigious Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy in Cape Town, South Africa.
The NCU are always keen for opportunities to develop their coaches through hands-on experiences which can then be passed onto up-and-coming players in the pathway and clubs/schools. Jonny Waite explains the fantastic opportunity and what he got up to in Cape Town this week,
“I was part of the 2024 Ulster Grasshoppers tour to Cape Town, and I’ll be linking up with the group again on the afternoon of Friday, January 17th, for the 2025 tour. James Cameron-Dow, who had previously coached in the Academy, connected me with Derek Mitchell, one of the lead coaches and a former professional batter for Western Province. From there, we discussed and organised a week of coaching at their High-Performance Academy ahead of the Grasshoppers Tour.
The High-Performance Academy is an intensive programme for 25–30 players, designed to develop their skills in a performance-focussed environment. The programme started on Monday, January 6th, and runs for 12 weeks. It’s a comprehensive initiative, with a typical day structured around cricket sessions from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by gym and conditioning work from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Additionally, players attend talks from professionals in various sports-related fields, including dietitians, psychologists, and physiotherapists, to broaden their knowledge and understand what it takes to elevate their game. After a short break, the coaches dedicate 4–5 hours to one-on-one sessions with Academy players and professionals from around the world who come to work with their coaches.
My first day was remarkable. I was one of four coaches in the indoor batting sessions at Rondebosch Boys High School, working alongside Jimmy Cook (former South African international with 88 professional hundreds), Justin Kemp (former South African international and ex-CIYMS professional), and Gary Kirsten himself! The Academy features six core coaches, plus myself and Sebi Best from Waringstown, who was there with me. On Monday and Tuesday, we focused on a technical skills block. Gary and Ryan van Niekerk (Netherlands Men’s Bowling Coach and former GK Coach) also ran a masterclass on T20 process goals and KPIs, setting the tone for upcoming matches. Listening to their insights and hearing them relate these ideas to IPL and international cricket experiences was invaluable.
With the High-Performance group scheduled to play their first T20 matches next week, Thursday and Friday were dedicated to match preparation. We worked with batters and bowlers through game-specific scenarios based on their roles and engaged in in-depth discussions on their strategies.
The week was packed with incredible learning opportunities. What stood out most to me was the Academy’s setup and the meticulous attention to detail in ensuring players leave as well-rounded athletes. I was fortunate to pick the brains of highly experienced coaches, and I look forward to applying these insights to the Women’s and Girls’ Pathway, allowing our players to benefit. It was also exciting to hear that the Academy is considering establishing a girls-only programme in the future—something that could be an excellent opportunity for NCU girls.
A huge thanks to Derek Mitchell and the Gary Kirsten Academy for giving Sebi and me the chance to be part of this incredible experience!”
The Gary Kirsten Cricket (GKC) Academy provides private coaching for individual cricketers, teams, and coaches of various ages and experience levels, locally and Internationally!
Founded by the iconic cricketing legend Gary Kirsten, Gary had a vision to develop an internationally recognised cricket academy based at a state-of-the-art facility. This vision became a reality when the academy was launched, providing high-performance cricket coaching that not only caters for South African cricketers but also to cricketers from around the world. Many international cricketers join the GKC academy during their off-season to ensure that they sharpen their game and continually get access to the top coaches.
http://Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy