Eric Simons joins Curro as cricket coaching consultant in 2021

23 October 2020

Curro Holdings is proud to announce the appointment of Eric Simons as coaching consultant to upskill the Curro group of schools’ cricket coaches. This partnership ties in with Curro’s vision to uplift sport within the group, and sees Simons set to create developmental pathways, coaching progressions and training drills to further develop coaches.

Simons is well known in the cricketing community, both locally and abroad. After having made a name for himself as an all-rounder at Western Province, Simons went on to play 23 One Day Internationals for South Africa. When his career as a player ended, he rose up the ranks as a coach; first at Western Province and then as head coach for the Proteas for two years, starting in 2002. Simons is also a regular on the Indian subcontinent, where he joined the Indian Cricket Team as bowling consultant in 2010.

In addition to his current roles of bowling consultant for the Indian Premier League’s Chennai Super Kings and head coach of the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants locally, Simons will now focus on improving the general level of coaching knowledge and expertise within the Curro group. Eric’s specific focus in 2021 will be to assess the state of coaching systems currently in place, and with this knowledge, he will then provide the necessary training to all coaches. 

“As a coach, one never really stops learning and it has been a privilege to travel the world and learn as I interact with some of the best coaches and players globally. Knowledge is of no use if it is not shared and I hope to bring some of what I have learned to Curro’s cricket family,” says Simons. “I look forward to being involved with a progressive organisation such as Curro, where the attitude of learning and striving to be the best is a part of its DNA,” adds Simons.

Curro Durbanville Cricket captain Alex-John Henn (middle); Jared Temlett (left); Eric Simons (right)

The partnership sees Simons furthermore partaking in a coaching clinic tour planned for early next year, with two-day conferences scheduled for Curro schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Here, Curro coaches will be exposed to the latest international coaching trends and will learn important one-on-one coaching techniques. Coaches will be able to provide feedback on the programme, while Simons will assess their progress, providing important skills development training where need be.

Curro will also be launching a new online sports library for coaches. Simons will use the knowledge gained on the nationwide tour of Curro schools to create a number of instructional videos and documents for Curro’s cricket coaches. These will be accessible on the sports library platform and presented to cricket coaching groups via collaborative software.

Curro Holdings CEO, Andries Greyling, is excited about the appointment and what it means for the group. “To have Eric as a partner in upskilling our coaches is truly a scoop for Curro Holdings. We are working hard at developing sport at Curro schools as we see it as vital for the growth of well-rounded learners. Eric’s international insight into cricket and his experience as a top-flight coach will be of utmost value to our cricket coaches and players going forward,” Greyling notes.

Simons’ appointment as partner coincides with two new state-of-the-art indoor cricketing facilities being opened at Curro schools. Cricket players at Curro Hillcrest and Curro Durbanville will no longer be bound by the weather, seeing that these new indoor facilities include a number of bowling lanes, complete with gym facilities to help with strength and fitness training, plus doctors- and physio rooms attached.