The Coaching Assistant award offers candidates the opportunity to take their first steps towards becoming a fully licensed coach and is aimed at those who are seriously considering coaching regularly in the future. The award is primarily aimed at adult athletes, ex-athletes and parents who work with athletes between 8-18 years of age but can also include adults.
The Coaching Assistant award includes information on the movement and mechanical principals that underpin run, jump and throw activities. On successful completion of the practical day attendance only programme in addition to the self guided online modules, the Coaching Assistant will be required to work under the guidance of a supervising Coach.
To be eligible for this course you must be 16 years or over. The Coaching Assistant Award is aimed particularly at adults, athletes, ex-athletes and parents who are working with athletes who fall within the Fundamentals and Event Group Development stages of the Athlete Development Model (ADM).
An important point to note is that this course is not about individual Athletics events. Coaching Assistants will not learn how to develop pole vault, but will be introduced to the movement and mechanical principals of running, jumping and throwing as a basis for success in all Athletic events including middle and long distance endurance. The Award covers the core coaching skills of demonstration, observation, analysis and feedback.
For a assistant license to be processed, candidates require a current Access NI Enhanced police check in addition to the completion of the online mandatory modules (Safeguarding & First Aid). From 1st April 2022, the online mandatory modules are included as part of the Coaching Assistant course fee and will automatically appear in Athletics Hub upon registering for the course. Access NI checks are not transferable between sports and other organisations therefore you will need to conduct a new check to be insured. The Access NI check itself is free for club volunteers.
Full details of this course can be found on British Athletics' uLearnAthletics.com website HERE.
If you would like to see the resources provided on this course before you attend they are also on uLearnAthletics.com HERE.
Visit the Upcoming Courses page for further details on the next Coaching Assistant courses. If you do not see a suitable date or course available, please fill out the Expression of Interest form to receive primary communications on when the next course will become available.