Time to move on: retirement interview with Jill McIntosh
Issue: Volume 27 Number 1
Most Australians would be aware of the very public and high-profile retirements of legendary Australian athletes such as Steve Waugh and Cathy Freeman. In the previous issue of Sports Coach, many issues surrounding retirement from sport were addressed (Sargent 2003). This article examines the same issue of retirement from a more applied perspective through an interview with a recently retired elite coach. It was thought that an interview would be a valuable way to gain a real insight into this important life transition. We were indeed most fortunate to attain the services of former Head Coach of the highly successful Australian netball team, Jill McIntosh (JM).
SC Jill, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions on retirement. When did you know that this was the right time to retire?
JM It was really important to make the decision to retire early enough. I was very comfortable in my decision at that stage. I knew it was the right time to go because little things that I used to deal easily with were starting to annoy me more: things that hadn’t been done or hadn’t been done right which I used to cope with were now more of a frustration. I was a little sick of fighting some of the same battles each year without any changes being made. I decided that it was time to move on to new challenges.
SC What do you say about the demands placed on coaches?
JM The life of an elite coach is becoming more and more demanding. After a while the stresses begin to take their toll. It is therefore really important for coaches to have time off because of the burnout factor. It is really important each year to recharge one’s batteries given the ever demanding challenges of the job of an elite coach. You have always got something to do, you never actually get away from it if you are not careful in planning for some break. Coaching is so all encompassing in terms of time. In this regard, it was a little easier to retire because you just can’t keep going at the same pace. Now I feel much more on top of things and feel really good in myself having made the decision and having moved on.
SC What were some of the important features about knowing that it was the right time to retire?
JM About 18 months ago, I just woke up and felt that it is time to go when my contract expired. I just felt I could not commit to another four years in the position. Actually, I feel that if you have worries and concerns about the timing, then possibly it is not the right time to go yet! I guess if you retire then you might tend to regret things a bit more. I felt that being able to control certain factors was so important to feeling comfortable with my decision.
SC What will you miss in terms of your coaching involvement?
JM I will definitely miss the great camaraderie within the team with both the players and the support staff. This camaraderie is an element which is so important to the success of the team.
SC What types of things won’t you miss now that you have retired?
JM I won’t miss the travel aspects and the time away. I will be able to get more reacquainted with my house and the garden. Also to have my weekends back will be very nice.
SC What do you see yourself doing in five years?
JM I see myself possibly involved in sports administration. That would be fine, I’m not really interested in coaching at all at this stage; certainly not full time in coaching. For this first 12 months I’ll be doing a range of things. Also I’ll have some time to really think about things again. I’m doing some interesting work in sport in South Africa. I look for doors to open — and then go for it. I feel that I am pretty open, excited and ready for any opportunities that may arrive and being open enough to respond to them.
SC Tell us about the last game you coached at the World Championships?
JM The last game — the World Championship game against New Zealand which we [ Australia] lost by two points. We all desperately wanted to go out with a win given that so many of us [coaching and support staff as well as a number of players including Kath Harby–Williams] were retiring at the end of the campaign.
In the final, we still had our opportunities to win the thing right up to the very end. It would have been a real fairytale finish for all of us, but we didn’t play to our best. I knew about a minute before the end that this was it and that the results weren’t going to go the way we wanted. It was a hard game and we had to make some hard decisions to try to get the best combination on to the court. Having to replace retiring captain Harby–Williams in her last game was very hard. However, for the team, we felt it was the right thing to do at the time. If I had the same situation over again, I might do this differently.
I must admit there is some relief about not having to put [myself] through all those stresses again which is great.
SC Given the number of you retiring, was there any discussion about how this might be dealt with?
JM In fact, the retirement issue was only discussed early on and then completely put aside. Even though the media kept making a big deal of it, we hadn’t and didn’t make it a big deal! The players involved, myself and the support staff were all comfortable with the decision that had been made. [Author’s note: This is interesting given recent media comments about the reasons the all-conquering Australian cricket team ‘struggled’ relatively against the Indians in the recent Test series, given the publicity surrounding Steve Waugh’s retirement.]
SC What do you believe are the main issues for players regarding this important issue of retirement?
JM Firstly, whether the retirement is forced or not. Some players have trouble putting things into perspective and can become quite bitter about this especially if forced to retire at a time when they are not quite ready. I found that the way actually to get the playing thing out of my system is to play again [at a lower level] as I found when I retired from elite play for Australia. I played for a number of years after the end of my playing days at lower levels until I knew that I had had enough and that I had fully got the playing thing out of my system. When speaking to players I often say that you are a long time retired, that you need to feel comfortable with the decision and to ensure that you get the playing thing out of your system so you won’t regret anything again, later on.
SC What or how has coaching changed for you over the years with the Australian team?
JM In later years, we have tended to refine things a lot more in our approach to coaching. This comes with more experience in the job, knowing the players and requirements of the task. I have also found it so important to listen to other people and players and to respond to their ideas. I feel that we were much more refined in approach at the end of the period of coaching!
Author’s note: As we finished our interview, Jill was off to present netball medals at the Australian Masters Games in Canberra. This again reflected her continued involvement in sport at different levels as well as how seriously she takes her future roles. Jill seemed extremely comfortable in her decision to retire, although clearly still disappointed about the final result not being as desired. While not bitter Jill did make some interesting observations about the Australian rugby union team who were in the final stages of the Rugby World Cup at the time. She noted the many similarities between the rugby union and netball teams: both were reigning world champions, coming into a World Championship which they were both expected to win. In both cases, the teams struggled at different times in their championship competitions; they seemed to be a little stifled under the immense pressure and therefore had difficulty living up to the high expectations Australians tend to place on these highly successful and visible teams.
SC In closing, have you got any messages or words of wisdom for the current Australian squad and new coaching staff at all?
JM It is the beginning of a new era for the Australian netball team. Along with new coach Norma Plummer and new support staff there will be many new faces on court. The best bit of advice I would give to all concerned is to do it your way and don’t try to be something you’re not. Each will bring something special to the group and it will be Norma’s job to mould this group into a team that is good enough to beat the world. She must have the full support of all concerned where everyone is working to the same goal.
Author’s note: Finally from a personal perspective, I would like to acknowledge Jill’s efforts and professionalism with the netball squad. The fact that Jill has made such an easy transition to retirement reflects her professionalism and planning which has been a hallmark of her work with this netball team over the nine years of her coaching. I know that all the support staff, the players and the public wish her well in her new found ventures. I also know that the players have been greatly affected by Jill’s approach to sport, netball and life. I feel that everyone in the whole group is all the better as individual people for having worked with Jill. Speaking on behalf of the whole group and the public, I certainly wish her all the best in her retirement.
I also wish the new team all the success in the world and hope that they can again reach the dizzy heights of success which became a hallmark of Jill’s reign as Head Coach of the Australian netball team.
Reference
Sargent, GI 2003. ‘Dealing with setbacks: retirement,’ Sports Coach, 26(4): 28-30
