Emma Thatcher
Study Type: School Leaver Vocational
Study Location: Broomfield Hall
Subject Studied: Sport
Former DCG Sports student Emma is cricket development coach
As a cricket development coach and bowler, Derbyshire County cricketer Emma Thatcher gets to promote her love of the game on and off the pitch.
Emma, 25, first got to know Derbyshire County Cricket Club through playing cricket but also spent time there while on the Level 3 Sports Coaching course at Derby College Group.
She said: “It was really good. We were at Broomfield Hall three days a week and at the DCCC ground on the other two days.
At that time of joining the course, I wanted to be a PE teacher, although I don’t now. I really enjoyed being with likeminded people who shared my love of sport.”
Emma had planned to go to University after A-levels but left sixth form after the first year as it wasn’t for her.
At Broomfield she was pleased to find University was still a possibility though, as the level 3 is equivalent to three A-levels.
She completed her course with three distinction stars and went on to gain a First Class honours degree in PE and Sports Coaching from York St John University.
Emma added: “It was important to me that I didn’t have to give up on going to University. Another advantage of doing the level 3 was that it was assignment based.
“That benefited me a lot on my degree course because I’d already had experience of writing and structuring essays and using references to back up arguments.”
Emma, a left-arm medium-pace bowler, says she came to cricket quite late. At 15 she joined Ockbrook & Borrowash Cricket Club, quickly fell in love with the game, and within 10 months was playing at county level.
In her role as cricket development coach with Derbyshire Cricket Foundation at DCCC’s ground she champions women’s and girls’ cricket – leading coaching in schools three days a week, providing a great first experience of cricket to children.
Emma also spends two days a week in the office, working with various governing bodies and encouraging more clubs to introduce girls’ teams.
And Emma is not the only member of her family to progress their careers via DCG. Her brother did a joinery apprenticeship at the Roundhouse and her sister took A-levels at Joseph Wrigth Centre then a Level 3 in Sports Massage at Broomfield before heading to University to study strength and conditioning.
It was important to me that I didn’t have to give up on going to University. Another advantage of doing the level 3 was that it was assignment based.