Hesson and Wanaka snowboarding guru Tom Willmott are among six people included in a programme aimed at honing the skills of top New Zealand coaches.
Sparc yesterday unveiled its Coach Accelerator idea, which it describes as a "pressure-cooker programme aimed at turning good coaches into great ones".
The inaugural intake consists of Hesson, Willmott, All Black assistant coach Steve Hansen, Central Pulse netball coach Yvette McCausland-Durie, New Zealand track cycling assistant coach Dayle Cheatley and New Zealand junior rowing coach Dave Thompson.
Hesson, who is also in charge of New Zealand A, was one of 40 coaches to apply for the six positions.
"It was a fairly extensive progress to get to this point," he told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
"I'm absolutely delighted to be included in what is a very good group of coaches."
Hesson replaced Glenn Turner as Otago coach four years ago and has built a formidable record.
Under him, the Volts have won a State Shield and a domestic twenty/20 title, have made three other finals and have promoted six players into the Black Caps.
Hesson is employed by the Otago Cricket Association but is not on a fixed-term contract.
While the Sparc programme runs for three years, it does not preclude Hesson from looking for job opportunities, and he confirmed he was nearing the end of his Otago tenure.
"I'm looking at staying for Otago for one or two more years.
Probably one.
"I'm still motivated to do the job but after another year I think the players and myself probably need to look at different challenges."
Hesson said the Sparc programme was in its infancy and he would find out more next week, when the first Coach Accelerator camp was held.
Willmott is, like Hesson, a rising coach who has started to produce exceptional results at the top level.
The England-born 30-year-old competed at World Cup level himself and has been coaching the New Zealand team since 2005.
His snowboarders have reached the podium at world youth championships, World Cup and open series levels.
Cheatley, of Wanganui, raced for New Zealand at junior and senior levels for more than 10 years, mostly on the track, where he won more than 10 Oceania and national titles.
His roles have included Southland coach and coaching development manager for BikeNZ, and he was part of the support team for Otago rider Alison Shanks when she won the world individual pursuit title in Poland last month.
Hansen joined Graham Henry and Wayne Smith in the All Blacks coaching team in 2004 and he is a former Wales and Canterbury coach.
McCausland-Durie coached New Zealand Under-21 from 2006 to 2009 and is now trying to keep the struggling Pulse afloat, while Cambridge-based Thompson coaches Hamilton Boys High School and the New Zealand under-23 coxless four.
The Coach Accelerator programme, funded by Sparc and run by the Academy of Sport: North Island, is aimed at addressing a shortfall of world-class coaches in New Zealand.
Financial support and professional development training will be provided for the six coaches, while a further five coaches will be selected each year.
The programme is being run by Alex McKenzie, a former University of Otago sport psychology lecturer and Highlanders professional development manager who now works at the Academy of Sport: North Island
Coaching the coaches
Sparc intake
•Mike Hesson - cricket
•Steve Hansen - rugby
•Tom Willmott - snowboarding
•Yvette McCausland-Durie - netball
•Dayle Cheatley - cycling
•Dave Thompson - rowing
