Please select your home edition
Edition
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350

AST Coaching Chain Series - Will Phillips

by Australian Sailing Team 9 Jul 2021 14:59 AEST
AST Coaching Chain Series - Will Phillips © Australian Sailing Team

Australia's recent Olympic sailing success has been no accident. Our Olympic champions have accessed quality coaching from the time they learned to sail at their home club up to the work they are doing now with their Australian Sailing Team preparing for this year's Tokyo Olympic Games.

It takes a team of coaches to produce an Olympic medallist. The Australian Sailing High Performance program supports a "coaching chain" where each coach contributes to the development of the athlete at their age and stage of development on and off the water.

In the lead-up to Tokyo we are going to be telling the story of the Coaching Chain through the eyes and voices of our world class Olympic athletes. Each and every coach has had a role to play in the holistic development of the athlete - it takes a coaching community and linked up coaching chain to produce an Olympic medallist.

The Australian Sailing Team Coaching Chain series is going to look at just one of the athlete's Club, State Institute (where applicable) and Australian Sailing Team coaches.

Australia has some of the best coaches in the world at club, performance pathway, AST and Olympic levels and Australian Sailing remains committed to advancing coaching and coach development in the years ahead.

Coaches are absolutely critical to ensuring Australia maintains its place at the top the world sailing tree, and our coaches must continue learning and developing to ensure they continue to develop the champions of today and into the future.

Coaching is one of Australia's genuine competitive advantages - our coaches know what it takes to win, the Australian way, on the world stage.

This edition of the Coaching Chain video features the story of Tokyo-bound 49er athlete Will Phillips. Will, originally from Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club, has been campaigning in the 49er for oever a decade and will be making his Olympic debut this month at the age of 33.

Will would also like to acknowledge some of the other coaches who played a role in his development, including Bunny Warren, Johnny Rodgers and Euan McNicol.

Australian Sailing would like to thank our Program Partners at the Australian Institute of Sport, New South Wales Institute of Sport, Queensland Academy of Sport, South Australian Sports Institute, Tasmanian Institute of Sport, Victorian Institute of Sport and Western Australian Institute of Sport for their support.

Get involved today, click here to find out how you can become a coach and help develop our next sailing champion.

Related Articles

Top 10 finishes for Aussie crews in Europeans
Australia's 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 sailors have wrapped up a demanding week in Greece Australia's 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 sailors have wrapped up a demanding European Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, with light winds, lengthy delays, and multiple general recalls pushing teams to their limits throughout the week. Posted on 9 Jun
Young Aussie squad ready to shine at Europeans
Australia's fast boat sailors are set for the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Europeans in Greece Australia's fast boat sailors are set to take on the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships this week in Thessaloniki, Greece. With up to 18 races scheduled over the next six days, it's set to be a high-intensity regatta. Posted on 2 Jun
Whitehead finish 9th at Formula Kite Europeans
A confident return to international competition in Urla, Türkiye Australia's Breiana Whitehead has made a confident return to international competition, finishing ninth overall at the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye. Posted on 20 May
Littlewood claims bronze in ILCA7 Worlds
It was a tale of two winds that decided the World Champions Zac Littlewood has claimed a bronze medal at the ILCA 7 World Championships in Qingdao, China, after an intense and unpredictable week of racing. Posted on 17 May
Breiana Whitehead set for Formula Kite Europeans
The Australian kitefoiler is back on the international stage this week Australian kitefoiler Breiana Whitehead is back on the international stage this week, as she lines up against top level competition at the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye from May 14 to 19. Posted on 14 May
Game on in Qingdao for the 2025 ILCA Worlds
237 of the world's best sailors from 40 nations prepare to battle it out The stage is set in Qingdao, China, as 237 of the world's best sailors from 40 nations prepare to battle it out over six intense days of racing at the 2025 ILCA6 and ILCA7 World Championships. Posted on 12 May
Matt Allen AM matches AOC funding
To support 2024 Olympic Podium Performing Sailors Matt Allen AM has once again demonstrated his unwavering support for sailing by generously matching the Australian Olympic Committee's Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) for Olympic champion Matt Wearn and Paris 2024 silver medallist Grae Morris. Posted on 2 May
Australia's next wave at French Olympic Week
Morris faced light and patchy breeze in the must-win medal showdown French Olympic Week in Hyères delivered everything from the roaring mistral winds that pushed physical limits to the patience-testing light airs that demanded calm and clarity. Posted on 27 Apr
Two golds for Australia at Sailing Grand Slam
Grae Morris and Zoe Thomson have claimed a gold medal each at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía regatta Grae Morris and Zoe Thomson have claimed a gold medal each at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía regatta, held over the past six days in Mallorca, Spain. Posted on 5 Apr
Australia's best set for first major test of 2025
The 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Regatta will commence today The 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Regatta will commence today and continue through to April 5th in Mallorca, Spain, marking the first major international test for Olympic-class sailors this season. Posted on 31 Mar
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERNavico AUS Zeus3S FOOTERBoat Books Australia FOOTER