With senior students being able to choose from over 40 different sports options, Haileybury has the largest school sports program in Australia.
Whether a student loves sports such as aerobics, basketball, netball or swimming, or is keen to try something new, such as cardio tennis, martial arts or reformer Pilates, there are options to suit. There is even a program for students who are interested in coaching or umpiring.
Haileybury’s Head of Coaching, Nathan Burke draws on his experience as both an AFL player and coach to oversee the School’s team of over 350 sports coaches who are dedicated to supporting the students.
Driven by a genuine desire to make a positive impact on those around him, Nathan explains, “If you’re not making somebody else’s life better, then you are wasting your own. Coaching, to me, is a way to live this motto. Sport just happens to be the thing that I have spent my life doing, and as such, it’s what enables me to coach confidently and know that I am making a difference.”
Nathan is committed to ensuring that each student’s sporting experience is rewarding, with a strong focus on building positive team cultures.
It is the positive team culture that he believes determines success. “The best teams design the culture they need in order to be successful; they don’t let it evolve by default. Talent alone is never enough. At times I’ve seen very talented teams, but if culture and standards didn’t match that talent they underachieved.”
The support from teammates and coaches had a profound impact on Nathan’s journey, and he believes that a single mentor, teacher or coach can make a life-changing difference to a young person.
For students, this means being part of an environment where they are encouraged to be resilient and everyone feels valued, supported and motivated to do their best.
Nathan is also passionate about helping coaches continue to grow and learn. “I had seven coaches at St Kilda, and I can honestly say I learnt something from every one of them. Sometimes you learn what to do and sometimes you learn what not to do. At the end of the day every experience, good or bad, is a chance to grow as a person,” he explains.
Nathan says that playing high performance sport and good wellbeing are closely linked. “I see coaching for high performance and wellbeing as going hand in hand. You can’t coach someone to be a high performer simply by teaching them skills. The high-performance stage naturally comes with additional pressures and stresses, they can’t be avoided,” he explains.
“The only way to truly reach your potential is by combining physical training with mental training. If a student just wants to play for fun, that’s fine, but using sport to support mental as well as physical health will always be part of our coaching program.”
Nathan encourages students interested in sport to find something they genuinely love, even if it means trying out different things. “When you love the sport you’re playing, it’s much easier to handle the ups and downs,” he says.
For those considering coaching, his advice is clear: “You don’t have to be the best player to be a great coach. Focus on the skill of coaching, that’s what truly counts.”
