How do I become a sports coach?
Whether you're still competing or an ex-athlete, a parent who has become interested in a new sport, a teacher developing their skills and interested as part of their job or a volunteer/organiser with a passion for coaching - there are several ways to get into coaching.
STEP 1: Can you assist a more experienced coach in a club/school enviroment? This will give you a flavour for what coaching actually involves and whether you have the desire to commit to the journey of becoming a high-quality coach.
STEP 2: Book yourself onto a coaching course. Most courses can be booked directly through a National Governing Body or through a local delivery agent. These are most commonly delivered at universities or sport-specific delivery centres.
Most governing body courses offer the following types of course:
Level |
Clasification |
Profile |
|---|---|---|
|
Level 4 |
Advanced/Master |
Plan, implement, analyse and revise multi-annual coaching programmes. Demostrate advance coaching competence, innovation and leadership. |
|
Level 3 |
Senior Coach |
Plan, implement and review annual coaching sessions. Demonstrate advance coaching competence. |
|
Level 2 |
Coach |
Prepare for, deliver and review coaching sessions. Demonstrate basic coaching competence. |
|
Level 1 |
Assistant |
Deliver coaching sessions and aspects of coaching sessions under direction/support. Acquire and practice basic coaching competences. |
|
Leadership Awards |
Sports Leader |
Develop understanding of sport-specific environment. This may include assisting with the organisation of competitions, games and training sessions as well as officiating and basic committee roles. Assist more qualified coaches delivering aspects of coaching sessions, always under supervision. |
As well as initial & further training courses offered by sport-specifc governing bodies, there are also Higher Degrees offered by Universities in sports coaching.
STEP 3: Join a team or club. The best way to develop your skills is to train on the job. Working in a club gives you access to other coaches from whom you can learn as well as sharing ideas and developing practice.
STEP 4: Find a mentor. Mentoring is a great way to give direction to your development. A good mentor will not only act as a sounding board for ideas and questions on coaching, but can help you reflect on your coaching practice and philosophy.
Think outside the box! Whilst an experienced coach mentor from your own sport may be able to assist you with your technical and tactical development, you may find that someone from another discipline can challenge you in terms of your knowledge and your career pathway giving you an opportunity to think outside of the box.
STEP 5: Plan your CPD. CPD stands for Continued Professional Development and is the key to improving your technical, tactical and overall craft knowledge. Generally these cover any formal/informal training opportunity. This may involve a sport-specific opportunity like a Coaching Conference, observing a more experienced coach in practice or attending a workshop on Child Protection or High Quality Coaching.
Child Protection in Coaching
Safeguarding our children and vulnerable adults is of paramount importance in all walks of life. No where is this a higher priority than in coaching. We advise all beginner, novice and advance coaches to under go some form of Child Protection training. We also suggest you talk to the organisers of the activities you coach to show you a copy of their Child Protection Policy.
- Download our "Safeguarding & Protecting Young People in Sport: A Guide for Coaches, Leaders and Officials" leaflet here.
- Download our "Safeguarding & Protecting Young People in Sport: A Guide for Sports Clubs and Organisations" leaflet here.
- Download our "Safeguarding & Protecting Young People in Sport: A Guide for Parents and Carers" leaflet here.
For additional infomation visit our new CHILD PROTECTION section of the website.