In this article, Rupal Ghelani (she/her) shares her thoughts on performance vs. development, how to try and drive both in a club setting and how her started and continues to develop her coaching and leadership positions.
Coaching the GBW U24, 2023.
Bio: playing history and leadership history
I started playing back at school in 2010, played through juniors, University and then afterwards at club level. I have represented GB juniors, U24s and seniors, and played across all three divisions playing with EMO, JR and now playing with SYC in the Women's division!
From a leadership and coaching perspective, I captained SYC from 2019 to 2023, coached SYC in 2025 and had the privilege of co-coaching the GB U24 Women's team in 2023.
What is your idea of leadership?
Leadership is interesting, sometimes it's associated with official positions - captains, coaches, presidents etc. But leadership can be so much more than that, it can be the person on the line who hypes people up to get a block, the person who organises throwing sessions each week, the person who organises off season track. If you are taking your first steps into leadership but may be nervous about it, know that you don't have to start big, you can start small and lead by example :)
Celebrating during the MESH showcase game.
Photo: Claire Baker.
Getting a block against Iceni.
Photo: Sam Mouat.
Where did your coaching career start?
I guess the coaching career started in 2023 when coaching the GB U24 team along with Emily Potter and Grace WIlkinson. We were all quite new to coaching and had a lot to learn!
Having played U24s for 3 cycles I have learnt so much from the coaches and teammates through those years and had the best time playing in the U24 division! On a personal level I was very keen to give back to a division which had given a lot to me in the past, and when the opportunity came to do it with 2 people I had played my final U24 cycle with, it was an opportunity I knew I couldn't miss.
The U24s taught me a lot about coaching through the season, its one thing leading from on pitch as a captain and another from the sidelines as a coach. This year I took a year off from playing to coach SYC, I felt like my body needed a frisbee break, but still wanted to be involved in the club. It's been weird coaching your friends but it's a two way thing and the club has been great at helping me become a better coach too.
What are your coaching style or principles?
I'm a big believer in the basics - focusing on throwing, catching, on pitch athleticism and communication. Because really that's what Ultimate comes down to in its simplest form! You have to earn the right to do the fun stuff like a poachy set or a fun zone by putting time and effort into the basics that make up the more complex strategic elements.
I love it when people ask questions and learn about their teammates, so I definitely encourage players to think and talk to their teammates to learn about preferred playing styles. E.g who likes a flick huck vs a backhand huck, and how do you set that up on pitch.
How have you improved your coaching?
The main thing I’ve learnt is the need to be flexible. You can have a plan at the start of the season for what you want to achieve but things pop up and plans need to change. This can be on a macro scale such as structures, on a micro scale on a session to session basis depending on numbers. Be prepared and account for different scenarios - conditions, numbers, pitch condition, how the session is going at that moment in time. Be flexible, and explain why we may be changing things up or taking the sessions in a certain direction. For me that meant being more prepared. When I started coaching we would have a plan and stick to it, but as I've coached more sessions I’ve got better at having multiple different sessions and scenarios up my sleeve which helps the sessions move smoother.
Tournament coaching is also very different from training session coaching. At tournaments it is more on the fly and in the moment. Having a clear plan of how to manage the clipboard, call lines, and take in the play is key, and something I’ve had to work hard on over the year to ensure I can work at peak mental capacity over a weekend.
Celebrating with teammate, Carla, during the MESH showcase game.
Photo: Andrew Moss.
How do you balance performance and development within the same club?
This is a really interesting one! Leadership groups can foster an environment where we provide resources and sessions that encourage both development and performance. E.g template throwing sessions, field sessions, pod sessions. But I do believe the desire to develop (in the sense of getting better specifically at the basics) and performance (in the sense of applying skills and achieving goals) has to come from the players within the club. Coaches cannot make players work hard - they can set a framework and foster an environment for that … but not actively get players to do the work. For this I think there are a few key things to consider:
The club has to be aligned early on in the season. Depending on when clubs have AGMs, set goals for the year ahead and reflect retrospectively about the year that has just gone. Be open and honest and really discuss what worked, what didn't work, where is the gap, what you need to do on an individual and club level to achieve goals and what is that goal that the WHOLE club is buying into. It doesn't work if only 50% are bought in.
You can ramp up through the year! It's pretty tough to hit peak and sustain peak right from the start of the season, so be clear that while things may not feel perfect when you start the season off, be patient and committed to making them better.
Development can happen outside of training. This goes back to a focus on the basics. Coaches and leadership can put together fantastic session plans, but if players don’t work hard on improving throwing, athleticism and recapping principles outside of training then the session quality won't be as high as it could be.
I do really believe a club can foster both development and performance. Session plans from a coach’s standpoint can have a skill element that encourages challenging yourself and working on a specific throw (for example), and a performance element where we apply that skill or principle into the wider structure and work to perfect it from a team standpoint. Improving one small bit at a time will compound into something fantastic!
