Gale the driving force

Andrew Gale is lending his professional experience to kids in the north of England

Several county cricketers go off to sunnier climes in the winter to hone their skills, but for Yorkshire's Andrew Gale the off-season is a chance for him to develop the talents of the youth of England.

Gale, along with fellow Yorkshire opening batsman Chris Taylor, runs the Pro Coach Cricket Academy - which does exactly what it says on the tin.

The duo, along with several of their county colleagues and other professional cricketers around the circuit, run the courses themselves, giving the children a unique chance to experience coaching tips from players with whom they can identify.

“We find that the kids are more receptive to the professionals they have seen on the telly or gone to watch play at their local county ground,” Gale told ecb.co.uk.

“The kids look up to them and sort of hang off their every word.”

It isn’t just county pros who have been enlisted, with England internationals Tim Bresnan and Anthony McGrath, amongst others, also giving their time to the initiative.

“We’ve had a selection of coaches, really,” Gale said. “In Yorkshire we have had people like Tim Bresnan doing masterclasses, Anthony McGrath, Adil Rashid, and quite a few of the other professional staff at Yorkshire.

“We’ve had Kyle Hogg from Lancashire do some coaching, and we have got some local club coaches in to help out.

“But we base our coaching around professional cricketers delivering the courses.”

From its humble beginnings, Gale’s brilliant system has grown and grown, with four more counties being added to the initial three.

“Last year we had courses just in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire,” Gale said. “Now we have branched out into Durham, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.

“It is exciting times for the company. I started four years ago as Pro Coach Cricket Academy, and Chris had his coaching company two years ago in Derbyshire, when he played there.

“We have been best friends for quite a while and he came back to Yorkshire so we decided to join together as a partnership. That has gone really well for us both over the last year. We have put a lot of effort in.”

Chris Taylor joined forces with Gale to expand their coaching courses across the country

That effort has certainly paid off, with the number of children taking up places on the courses increasing all the time, much to the delight of Gale.

“We were 99% full last year so we have got over 600 kids who we delivered courses to this winter,” he said. “We anticipate that to go over 2,000 kids next winter.

“They are very keen. We find that all the kids have improved by the end of the courses.”

However, it is not just the kids whom Gale is improving, with his own personal career also having been markedly enhanced since he started.

“From a coaching point of view it has made me realise technical and mental stuff in my own game,” he admitted.

“Being a coach myself, I have used a lot more video analysis than I used to, and that has helped me as a player.

“And also, with the mental part of the game, about how the coaches are trying to coach me - I find that I can tap into the coaches’ minds. They help me to improve as player that way.”

Cricket is an overriding part of Gale’s life and he sees his coaching courses as the perfect way to give something back to the sport he loves.

“Obviously I am passionate about cricket,” he said. “I worked a little bit in the winter as a coach in the cricket centre.

“I just thought I could do something myself and take the coaching into different areas of Yorkshire instead of everyone having to come to Headingley.

“Then I just decided to set up my own courses in my local area and they went well for me. Since then I have just branched out into the whole of England.”

The success of Gale and Taylor’s endeavours is not to be underestimated, with the use of professional cricketers as coaches having encouraged children from all over the country to take up playing the sport themselves.

The sessions take place once a week over a period of 10 weeks in the winter at a cost of £135.00 for the Premier Academy (15 hours coaching - £9 per hour) or £349.99 for the Elite Academy (20 hours coaching - less than £17.50 per hour).

In addition, summer courses and one-to-one sessions are on the horizon for 2009.

Gale and Taylor are also looking for ECB level 2 and 3 coaches all over the country - not just professionals - to help them expand. Competitive rates will be paid.

For more information or to book a course, visit www.procricketcoachingacademy.com or email procoachcricketacademy@hotmail.co.uk.