World Sailing has wrapped up coach education courses in Malta and Jordan, part of a broader push to lift coaching standards and build sustainable sailing programmes in both countries.
In Malta, a Level 1 Technical Course for Coaches ran from 7 to 13 September at Viking Sailing Club in Valletta. Fourteen participants, nine men and four women, took part in the week-long course led by World Sailing Coach Developer Tim Cross. The timing is no accident: the Maltese Sailing Federation is building towards hosting the 2027 Youth Commonwealth Games, where sailing will feature for the first time in the event's history.
The course mixed classroom theory with on-water sessions, focusing on athlete-centred planning, safety skills and on-water delivery.
Clubs run almost entirely by volunteers carry much of the load in Maltese sailing, delivering youth and adult programmes year-round and taking newcomers through to competitive racing for those who want to go that far.
Cross described the course as a genuine success. "The recent Olympic Solidarity funded Level 1 Technical Course for Coaches hosted by the Maltese Sailing Federation was a great success, bringing together representatives from five sailing clubs and programmes across Malta and Gozo," he said. "It provided an excellent platform for collaboration, allowing clubs, instructors and coaches to share ideas and work towards a common vision for the future of sailing nationally."
He was struck by the calibre of the coaches involved, many of whom have raced internationally in classes such as the Optimist and ILCA. "As relationships developed and ideas were shared, there was a genuine sense of a united team emerging, committed to improving how sailing is taught, promoted and developed in Malta," Cross said. He pointed to 2027 as a turning point, calling the Youth Commonwealth Games "a significant opportunity to raise the profile of the sport, inspire future generations and build a lasting legacy for sailing across the islands."
Attention then shifted to the Middle East, where Jordan ran its own Level 1 course from 25 September to 1 October, led by World Sailing Trainer Mohamed Gamal. Fifteen coaches took part, 13 men and two women, building on a similar programme held the previous year aimed at growing the pool of qualified instructors.
A number of participants were PE teachers recruited from public schools in Aqaba. They already had coaching backgrounds, and the course gave them a grounding in sailing basics with a view to raising awareness of the sport through the school system.
Gamal called it a valuable step forward. "The course in Jordan was a very positive and valuable experience," he said. "It was an important step towards developing sailing in the country by improving coaches' knowledge and practical skills, while also creating a strong foundation for the future development of the sport."
He sees scope for further growth, particularly among women. "There is also great potential to encourage more women to become coaches and sailors, support sailing clubs, and establish new training centres," Gamal said. "With continued support from World Sailing and the MNA, I am confident that Jordan can make significant progress and that this course can serve as a model for developing sailing in other countries across the region."
Both courses were funded through the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Solidarity programme, which covers most of World Sailing's coach education work worldwide. Member National Associations apply directly for support, and the number of courses delivered each year depends on how many applications come through, a quiet but steady mechanism behind the sport's growth in corners of the world far from its traditional strongholds.
