Kenny Greenway, Jarrod Mullen launch digital coaching tool Coachai

A Sunshine Coast sports nut has linked up with former NRL players and coaches to launch a digital coaching platform that will revolutionise the grassroots sports landscape.

Coachai managing director Kenny Greenway. Picture: Patrick Woods.

What started as a conversation over coffee has now turned into a dream come true for one Sunshine Coast sports coach and a number of NRL stars.

The team behind Coachai, including managing director Kenny Greenway, who was voted the Sunshine Coast’s best sports coach in 2021, noticed a lack of support and resources for community sports coaches across a series of codes and social competitions.

Greenway said they wanted to and act as ‘an assistant coach’ for parents and club volunteers throughout Australia.

“I know so many guys and ladies at clubs where you put your hand up to coach, maybe do the basic accreditation with the NRL, but then it’s away you go whether you’re comfortable or not,” he said.

“On top of that the majority of coaches are time poor because they are working all day or occupied with family or life away from community sport.”

Coachai managing director Kenny Greenway. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Greenway and the team had the idea to launch Coachai, a web based app that explains, plans and teaches community coaches and players a set of key drills for their side.

“What our app does is give community coaches the ability to know what they’re doing today, next session or even weeks in advance and on top of that they’re using and teaching useful drills and skill games for the players,” he said.

“We want to help coaches at the community club level enhance their overall coaching knowledge and experience, while also helping their junior players build on their key fundamental skills.”

The app was officially launched in January 2023 with a behind the scenes team made up of professional coaches and players such as Jarrod Mullen, Steve Nance and Dennis Moore, that have been involved in all levels of the game.

More than 30 community clubs throughout Queensland and New South Wales have already jumped on board and Greenway said there had already been some amazing responses.

“It happens all of the time where you see a coach doing a drill that you think is gold and you may want to incorporate for your team but you don’t know the specifics of how to set it up, what to tell the players, what the key focus is on, how to add extensions or layers to the drill,” he said.

“Our digital coaching platform starts out with a coach talking to the user, rather than the user just watching a video of someone coaching kids.

“We’re continuously adding to our hundreds of drills designed and tailored to a specific age group or skill level so not only the user or the coach is getting a clearer understanding but the players also.

“Coaches can also leave notes or comments under each drill, video the kids training and upload it, chat with other local or external coaches and so on so it’s a coaching tool first of all but it’s also a key support network as well.”

The Coachai team hoped to expand the app to a wide range of sports such as rugby union, football and Aussie rules.

The team also opened the doors to their high performance player academy gym in Caloundra in November, 2023.

“The gym was a by-product of the app as a way for us to offer one-on-one sessions, small group sessions, holiday clinics and club clinics to players in the area aged between 12 and 18,” he said.

“We do strength and conditioning gym sessions, sprint and speed mechanic workshops, field sessions and so on from myself and other accredited coaches and players.

“Steve Nance is our high performance director and he brings a healthy resume of working with the Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys, Wallabies and a number of European rugby union sides.”

Greenway said the focus remained on junior and community club players.

“Our main focus is again on those junior players with a target on kids aged between 12 and 15,” he said.

Coachai managing director Kenny Greenway. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“Those kids can’t go to a gym on their own without a parent or a personal trainer whereas this gives them the correct training for their age bracket or body development so that their not just walking into the gym and trying to bench press as much as they can.

“Because at the moment we only have a Sunshine Coast base, the app also makes our player programs available for kids that can’t get to our gym or live remotely but still want to take part.”

Greenway said the high performance academy was hoping to expand into New South Wales and throughout Australia as they climb towards their target of 150 members.

Originally published as Kenny Greenway, Jarrod Mullen launch digital coaching tool Coachai