Our Why - RYAN GILMARTIN : AWARD-WINNING WRITER, ACTOR & PRODUCER

RYAN GILMARTIN : AWARD-WINNING WRITER, ACTOR & PRODUCER

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Our Why

When I'm not coaching I work as an Actor & Facilitator specifically with young people. I teach them new skills, build their confidence & provide positive male leadership.

I frequently work with the best creative organisations from Manchester International Festival to Sheffield Crucible. Last year I was awarded the Accelerator Award from one of Britain’s best theatre companies for young people, Boundless Theatre.

It is this background that makes me unique.

Three years of movement training at drama school (The Stage “School of The Year”) means I’m able to watch, analyse & then teach football techniques in multiple ways. This is crucial because all young people move & learn in their own unique way.

In 2016 I went to Florida to write a play about recruiting in American Football, which two years later would become COMMIT and be produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Florida is one of the “Big Three” high school football states (Texas & California are the other two). I wanted to immerse myself in this football hotbed to discover what the coaches & players were doing differently.

During the season players practice everyday. I went to Monarch High School hoping to simply observe the practice. After five minutes the Head Coach strides over - he thinks I’m a scout for a rival team. The moment he hears my accent he relaxes and invites me inside to watch the practice.

I got to shadow every part of the process from film study to workouts to assigning the uniforms “We don’t give out number 1”.
After a few days they asked me to give hands-on coaching to the defensive backs.

Whilst in Florida I also interviewed the nationally-respected recruiting expert Larry Blustein of Blustein Recruiting. Larry has scouted high school players in Florida for over fifty years & gave me some amazing recruiting insights.