Book 4

BOOK 4: SOCCER COACHING KNOWLEDGE
The Holcroft saga, a rugby story the like of which, may never have been equalled in the history
of the game.
It begins over a century ago, when Mr. George Holcroft, was given charge of Leigh St. Peters
R.L.F.C. in 1889.
He married and when his family grew up, Jack, Harry, William and Tom all played for local
teams. They married and George's grandsons Bert and Bill also played.
Bert Holcroft has been a distinguished servant for the game of Rugby all his life. He holds
coaching certifi cates from BOTH the Australian and British governing bodies - one of only a
handful of men to achieve such an honour in the game's history.
For 20-odd years Bert Holcroft has had one of the unlikeliest jobs in sport - teaching Australian
Rugby Coaches how to coach!
Considering the Australian dominance of World Rugby in recent years, that might seem a par
with taking coal to Newcastle.
But make no mistake, Bert Holcroft has done as much as anyone to ensure Australia's reemergence
as a major Rugby power.
On the face of it, Australia wouldn't seem to need any outside help, let alone from a Pom. Their
record of only one Test defeat since 1978 speaks for itself. But Bert's reputation is nation-wide
"down under" - quite simply he's one of the best in the business.
Bert, who played for Leigh between 1950-60, has spent much of his latter years Down Under
lecturing to top-grade coaches in New South Wales.
Born and bred in Cameron Street, Leigh, Bert has few peers when it comes to teaching the
basics of the 13 a side game. Since emigrating in the late 60's, Bert has dedicated his life to
coaching and fi tness techniques. Teams in Queensland, New South Wales and Sydney have
all come under his infl uence - often with spectacular results. Bert's credentials are impeccable.
Last summer, he achieved the highest accolade in Australia - his Grade Three certifi cate
personally signed by the then Australian league chairman Kevin Humphreys and the Director
of Coaching, Peter Corcoran. Three years earlier, Bert has sailed through his Grade One and
Two with fl ying colours. In 1953, he was awarded his senior coaching certifi cate in England.
Bert, who held a number of posts at Hilton Park before emigrating to Australia, has spent a
lot of his time heavily involved with Rugby in the universities there. He became director of
coaching for the University of New South Wales and later coach of the Combined Universities
side.
Coaching Accreditation awarded by the Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Sport and
Recreation NSW and the NSW Rugby League for administration, as well as being awarded
National Coaching Certifi cates in both Britain and Australia - one of only a handful of people
to do so.
Eventually the offer of a job in Sydney came - to coach Premiership glamorous club, Eastern
Suburbs.
BERT HOLCROFT