'Perfect combination' - Daley Morris hails success of co-coaching system

Appointing Sasher-Gaye Henry and Marvette Anderson as co-head coaches for the senior netball team raised some question about the capability of the double appointment to work.

However, Netball Jamaica President Paula Daley Morris said that in assessing the ladies for the co-head coach role, they knew Anderson and Henry would be the 'perfect combination' for the programme.

"We saw it work in international setting, and we saw enough to know it was a viable option. When you have inexperienced coaches and they are trying to find their footing, as in any organisation when you are inexperienced, one thing you know is you learn better from your peers.

"If you have a reliable peer, you can advance and develop more. Human relation is important when you have people that are able to work well together; you must get a better outcome, so that was critical," she said.

Daley Morris also noted that they wanted a situation where two coaches could share the decision-making responsibility and co-exist in a productive manner.

"When you have a coach and an assistant, one person is relied on for decisions, but when you have a co-coaching situation, it's team work," Daley Morris said.

"We saw them, we worked with them, we knew what they were like, and we knew they were compatible in terms of co-coaching. It was watching these two persons' behaviour and knowing they will work well together, based on their strengths and weaknesses.

"They are a perfect combination, they plan well, they work together well, they understand each other and there is respect between them, and that's all we needed, so we are pleased," she said.

Despite the short-term success of this approach, Daley Morris pointed out that this approach is not set in stone and that adjustments will be made after collective consideration, if the need arises.

"It's a new era for netball in how we approach the game. That (co-coaching) works for now; as we go forward, things may change, so I can't tell you we may continue or we are not going to continue.

"We have a committee to make those decisions. They are going to look at the situations, look at what is best for the programme and go with the consensus. So it's a collective decision," said Daley Morris.