What is sports coaching and how do I get involved?
What does Sports Coaching involve? Coaches play a key role within Sport and can have a significant influence on the participants they coach. Sports coaches teach sports skills and techniques to individuals and teams of all abilities, right through the player pathway (i.e. from being involved in sport for enjoyment and fun through to Olympic/Paralympic level.)
They help people to take up sport for the first time; help people improve their skills in their chosen sport and help those with exceptional talent to achieve their goals. They also ensure that this is achieved in a safe environment and in a way which helps everyone realise their full potential.
Coaches set exercises, practices and tasks to accelerate skill learning and produce improvements in performance.
As well as developing sports skills, coaches should also recognise they have a responsibility towards the social, emotional and physical needs and development of participants.
The roles of a sports coach includes:
- Planning structured training programmes
- Running/assisting with training sessions
- Accompanying participants to competitions and events
- Giving evaluation and feedback on performance
- Monitoring the physical and mental condition of participants
- Developing players into and effective team
Key responsibilities of the coach are to:
- Identify and meet the needs of the individual
- Improve performance through a progressive programme of safe, challenging guided practice and/or competition
- Evaluate the success if the programme in relation to individual needs
- Create an environment both in and outside the competitive arena in which individuals are motivated to maintain participation and/or improve performance
- Ensure that all participants, irrespective of the level they are working at, enjoy their sport, learn new skills and develop as individuals
Skills and interests needed to be a good sports coach:
- real enthusiasm for your sport
- good verbal communication skills
- an ability to inspire confidence and motivate people
- an ability to analyse problems
- perseverance and patience
- good organisational skills
- a sensitive and supportive approach
To progress as a sports coach (and to ensure that you develop good coaching knowledge and skills) you will need to achieve a coaching qualification, which is recognised by the appropriate National Governing Body (NGB) for your sport. Most importantly, going through and gaining NGB awards, coaches can become insured against liability for accidents whilst they are coaching. Click here for more information about Coaches Liability Insurance (link to follow)
People can attend NGB courses from as early as 16 years of age in some sports, with qualifications available for assistant coaches and leaders and go right the way through to performance coaches who work at the elite sports people.
You can get these qualifications in two ways:
- Directly through the NGB of the sport you are interested in
- As part of a Further Education or Higher Education institution course, of different levels. Entry will be decided on the basis of ability in and commitment to sport and academic ability. Your knowledge of sport, ability in sport and enthusiasm is a starting point. Involvement at school and experience in helping with sports activities at club level will be an advantage
You cannot progress as a sports coach without a coaching qualification in your particular sport, even if you have an academic qualification.
National Governing Bodies of Sport are responsible for developing and delivering coaching qualifications relevant to their sport.
Coach Education Programmes are developing all the time to ensure that the best resources are available to support coaches . At present 31 National Governing Bodies of Sport are involved in the UK Coaching Certificate Endorsement process for coach education qualifications.
The UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) is an endorsement of sport specific coach education qualifications that are aligned to an agreed framework. It will ensure that sports are delivering the best available, athlete centred coaching and in due course reap the rewards of sporting success, both in performance and recreational enjoyment of sport. For more information on the UKCC please see ‘Developing your Skills’ (need to add link) section.
As well as a sports specific NGB qualification, good coaching practice guidelines also advocate that coaches should operate under 'Minimum Operating Standard Guidelines'. Lancashire Sport advocate that all coaches (in a paid or voluntary capacity) look to operate within these standards, which are nationally recognised as the basics standards a coach should be operating at, to ensure they carry out their role safely and effectively.
For details of the ‘Minimum Operating Standards Guidelines’ advocated by Lancashire Sport, please see ‘Developing your Skills’ (need to add link)
How do I get involved in coaching?
People become involved in coaching in many different ways. Some just begin by ‘helping out’, because the coach at the session needs a hand. Other people may have retired from playing a sport, but feel they still want to put something into the sport, so stay involved through coaching.
Whatever the reason for getting involved, many coaches start their journey as a coach by volunteering in local sports clubs or community settings, assisting qualified sports coaches.
There are many ways that you can start to get involved in volunteering in sports coaching within Lancashire:
- Through the Lancashire Sport Volunteer Programme:
(link to the Volunteering part of the website) - By linking to local Sports Development Units:
All of the Sports Development Units in Lancashire use coaches and volunteers to run and support the sports activities that they offer in their local community. Details of the of local sports development unit contacts are as follows: please see the – can we provide SDO contact names/contact details/ (Need to get permission). Many sports development units also run programmes to support the development of coaches in their local area. For information on what is happening in your local area, please see ‘Support for Coaches’
Contact details for those wanting to find out more about opportunities in:
Coaching:
Athletics
Alison Lyons - Coach Education
T: 0161 230 8184
E: alysons@englandathletics.org
Katie Jones - Club/Local Athletics
T: 0161 223 6161
E: kjones@englandathletics.org
Badminton
Vicky Foster-Lloyd - BADMINTON England
M: 07825 094730
E: vickyfoster@badmintonengland.co.uk
W: www.badmintonengland.co.uk
Basketball
Brian Aldred - Coach Development Manager
T: 0114 2235690
E: Brian.Aldred@englandbasketball.co.uk
Bowls
Canoeing
Gareth Field
M: 07738 185885
E: gareth@bcu.org.uk
Cricket
Tony Potter
T: 0161 282 4021
E: tpotter@lcc.co.uk
Cycling
Alex Scoular - NW Regional Mgr.
T: 0161 274218
E: alexscoular@britishcycling.org.uk
Equestrian
Suzanne Genery - Coaching Manager
T: 02476 698871
E: suzanne@genery.datanet.co.uk
Football
Coach Education
E: colin.greenall@lancashirefa.com
Club Development
E: roger.denobrega@lancashirefa.com
Golf
Gymnastics
Helen Wallis - North West Regional Coaching Co-ordinator
T: 07753 100697
E: helenwallis58@btinternet.com
Hockey
Natalie Wray
M: 07718 980519
E: natalie.wray@englandhockey.org
Judo
Graham Bayley
T: 01925 453601
M: 07974 355007
E: grahambayley@britishjudo.org.uk
Lacrosse
Netball
Dawn Tolcher
M: 07818 036791
E: dawnt@englandnetball.co.uk
Rounders
Rowing
Rob Cree - Coaching Development Officer (North)
T: 0870 1644749
M: 07886 820705
E: Rob.cree@ara-rowing.org
Rugby League
RFL Coach Education Programme
Red Hall
Red Hall Lane
Leeds
LS17 8NB
T: 0844 477 7113
F: 0844 477 0013
E: coaching@rfl.uk.com
Rugby Union
Stuart Urquhart - local opportunities
M: 07740 565060
E: stuarturquhart@rfu.com
Ian Thompson - coach development
M:07738 029110
E: ianthompson@rfu.com
Sailing
Sally Kilpatrick - RYA Development Officer North West
M: 07747 534527
E: sally.kilpatrick@rya.org.uk
Softball/Baseball
T: 020 7453 7055
M: 07810 641494
E: John-Mills@baseballsoftballuk.com
Squash
Louise Pickford - Coach Education Coordinator
Coaching Department
The National Squash Centre
Rowsley Street
Manchester
M11 3FF
T: 01614384318
E: louise.pickford@englandsquash.com
Swimming
Swimnorthwest (for general enquires)
T: 0161 953 2671
E: swimnorthwest@swimming.org
Table Tennis
Andrea Holt
T: 01204 334152
M: 07801 069907
E: andrea.holt@bolton.gov.uk
Tennis
Dave Hillier
T: 01942 821194
M: 07958 202952
E: dave.hillier@LTA.org.uk
Triathlon
Judith Brand
T: 01509 226 161
E: Judithbrand@britishtriathlon.org
Volleyball