Sally Pizii: amazing angling coach who inspired hundreds of women to take up fishing

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Sally Pizii has sadly passed away. Sally was an exceptional woman who did so much for the sport of angling. She helped create the very first coaching programme and delivered training to hundreds of coaches up and down the country. She also had an immensely positive impact on the number of females taking up fishing and was heavily involved in the South West Fishing For Life project, helping women with their recovery from breast cancer.

I had the pleasure of completing my CAST training with her many moons ago. I travelled down to the West Country and found the local village hall which was hosting the event. Sally made everyone feel at ease instantly, she truly had a gift when it came to education and passing on knowledge. It never felt as if we were being ‘taught’ anything, simply learning from someone as if they were a family member. She was warm, knowledgeable and spoke at ease with everyone, whatever walk of life they came from.

Although I didn’t complete my Level 2 training with Sally, many Sparsholt students who came to work with me did, and I often picked up the phone for a chat with Sally after the courses had finished at Sparsholt to find out if there were any rising coaching stars.
Tom Oliver completed his training with Sally through Sparsholt and went on to become one of the best coaches I have had the pleasure of working with. Tom had this to share upon hearing the sad news:

“Sally was a lovely lady and fantastic teacher. She helped a large group of us achieve our angling coaching qualifications whilst studying at Sparsholt College. Her teaching technique was one that had every single person engaged from start to finish of every session. She knew how to get the best from each and every one of us, and that has led to hundreds, if not thousands, of new anglers due to the skills she has passed on. Hopefully her legacy will now live on through her coaching techniques that so many of us now use in our own coaching sessions.”

Angela at the Angling Trust coaching centre worked very closely with Sally over the years and had this to share:

“Sally was, for a number of years, the Lead Internal Verifier for all the coaching courses run by the Angling Development Board/Angling Trust, as well as a member of the Coach Educator workforce that delivered those courses. When the ADB took over the licensing of angling coaches she shared her abundant knowledge to support those taking on that new project. When the licensing scheme was extended a few months later to include Level 1 coaches, the very first Level 1 licence RC00001 was issued to her husband, Tony.

“Sally was one of those who made angling a much more welcoming environment for women, and when the Coaching Centre was still in its infancy, if our promotional literature included a photograph with a female angler, it was certain to be Sally. Although she eventually retired from the ADB/Angling Trust Coaching Centre, she typically turned personal suffering to the advantage of others by her work with the South West Fishing for Life project, enabling breast cancer patients to enjoy fly-fishing in calming surroundings with those who were qualified in more than one way to support them. Sally will be sorely missed by all.”

I have found a lovely article online by the Angling Times which really captures Sally’s love of fishing and highlights all the fantastic work she has done. Please have a read here.

I will sign off with a true and heartfelt “THANK YOU, SALLY”. You did so much for Angling and Angling has so much to thank you for. Rest in Peace.

Graham Mabey, Angling Trust Head of Coaching