Charlie Haynes
Charlie Haynes has used the skills he honed at University in his sports career, which has progressed to a coaching role in the national basketball programme.
Photo Credit: Todd Lindley
Charlie Haynes, a Sports Coaching Science graduate, is now Basketball England’s Under 15 Girls Assistant Coach, working within the England Talent Pathway, helping to develop talented young players. He combines this position with his day-to-day employment as a basketball coach.
“Representing my country is a massive honour and something that deserves maximum commitment,” he says. “As a young coach, it is a huge privilege.”
In his England role, he assesses and helps in the development of players identified as the best in their age group through national team experiences. This includes international tournaments, which have seen him travel with the team to Menorca and Serbia so far. He works with other team coaches and is analysed and assessed by senior members of Basketball England.
“The England Talent Pathway, and the support that comes with it, is something I feel will have a really great impact on my own development as a coach and will help me continue to grow my knowledge,” he said.
Alongside his England duties, Charlie works at the John Madejski Academy as a Performance Basketball Coach and leads the school’s Basketball Youth Academy. He is also a coach for club Reading Rockets, working with various age groups such as Under 18 men and overseeing the girls’ junior teams.
As a junior, Charlie played in the Plymouth Raiders junior teams, then in the Exeter College Basketball Academy. However, he fell in love with coaching while getting some initial coaching qualifications in his last year at college and moved his focus to that. During his university studies, he was a Basketball Wales National Team coach for the Under 23, Under 15 and Under 16 male age groups.
Charlie praised the Sports Coaching Science course. “It gave me a chance to apply classroom learning in real-world practical experiences, and in-turn, I used my real-world coaching experiences for my university assessments,” he said. “This was a great way to build up my knowledge base and develop my coaching. The education and coaching experiences developed my knowledge and skills as a coach, but also helped me to understand the process behind self-development to ensure that I maintain a growth mindset and continue to seek self-development for the rest of my career.”
Charlie said he was extremely grateful to those who had made his experience in Worcester “so incredible”. He added: “I had fantastic lecturers who went above and beyond to help me achieve my goals inside and outside of university. Education at university is so much more than what you’re taught in a classroom. Many members of staff showed an interest in my development, making sure I always felt supported whilst pushing me to the highest standards in my course modules, university coaching and national team coaching with Wales.”
Charlie, who completed his degree with First Class Honours in 2020, particularly enjoyed the basketball opportunities during his university years; coaching various university teams, Basketball Wales national teams and having involvement with the Worcester Wolves British Basketball League side as a team manager.
Long-term Charlie’s aim is to be the best coach he can be. He said: “For now my goal is to continue my self-development and to have a really positive impact on the people around me and on the projects I am involved with. Who knows what lies ahead in the future.”
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