2020 was the year the sports world came to a halt.
Much attention was paid to the lack of live sports available to watch on TV, no crowds in the stadium and no recreational sports at grassroots level. Whilst all of the above have made their way back to normality there is one, rarely spoken about, area of sport which continues to feel the strain of the pandemic. That is of course coach education.
Most national governing bodies (NGBs) relied on face-to-face coaching courses pre-pandemic in order to qualify and upskill their coaches. When COVID-19 put an end to face-to-face meetings, for the most part, coach education stopped. Last season the priorities of the NGBs was around getting people back active in sports in a COVID-secure fashion, meaning that it’s only now, the 2022/23 season that NGBs are running their coach education programs at anywhere near the capacity they had reached pre-pandemic.
The problem facing sporting organisations across the country currently is a lack of newly qualified coaches, in principle, there was a 2-year gap where coach education was running at lower than expected levels. This means there is a dip in the number of qualified coaches. The solution for us at Lions… run our own courses to get our new coaches qualified, and our existing coaches upskilled!
With our partners 1st4Sport, we run a Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Sport and Physical Activity. This qualification looks at the coaching process, and how this can be applied to multiple sports, meaning our coaches have a diverse experience through their training, allowing them to learn from other coaches and other sports. So far, we have qualified over 50 coaches.
“The level 2 was an excellent opportunity to develop as a coach. The methods of practising theoretical skills with practical tools help to deliver informative methods of coaching for all different types of learners. Over the three days, you get plenty of support and feedback on the coaching you deliver. I would highly recommend the course to any aspiring coach” (Isla, Level 2 attendee)
If you want to get started on your coaching journey or upskill yourself as a coach, through our level 2 course, please click the booking link below! Or email me for more information!
Email: charlie@lionssports.academy
Booking Link: bit.ly/3k5dTQ9
Give us a call or drop by anytime, we endeavor to answer all enquiries within 24 hours.