Olympian Coach Visiting The Mount

The Mount School York will host a visit from an Olympic rugby coach Euan Mackintosh on Wednesday 12 January, to talk about sports psychology and share with girls insights of his prestigious coaching career, and success strategies for sports and in life.  

35-year-old Mackintosh, who has coached all over the world in the traditional powerhouses of Rugby Union-playing countries including Australia, France and New Zealand, also successfully coached the China national team to win the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens. Under Mackintosh, China’s national women’s team qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever, and against all odds finished 7^th in Tokyo.   

“People may think China is not a powerhouse of rugby, but their structure for sevens is way ahead of other nations ranked higher in the world rankings,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have learnt from some of the best coaches in the world during my travels.”  

The visit, which has been arranged by the all-girl Quaker school’s new Principal, David Griffiths, is an exciting evolution to recent visits to The Mount by elite athletes, including Team GB athletes Amy Hillyard and Laura Samuel. David Griffiths said, “This is an outstanding opportunity for the girls to encounter a professional sports person like Euan at this age. Being able to shape the educational journey of young people is something that I find rewarding in the extreme. The girls will no doubt find this experience helps to expand the scope of their potential.”  

Head of Sport and PE, Jackie Greenwood said, “There is a multitude of benefits for girls to hear from inspiring people from all walks of life. Team sports like rugby encourage us to excel through play, collaboration, communication and reflection; these are skills that also underpin mental health and wellbeing.”