01 May 2012

UKA and England Athletics have today announced plans to provide free coach education for a year as part of their commitment to a long term coaching legacy following the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The access to the newly launched Event Group modules and qualifications will be made available to eligible coaches free of charge until May 2013, in a move to ensure coaches in the UK can access to best quality coach education in a truly significant year for the sport.

The modules, available from May 1 2012, are the latest part of the overhauled coach development structure that has been put in place by UKA’s head of Coaching and Development Kevin Tyler since his arrival in December 2008.

By making the qualification free of charge to coaches for the first year, the bodies have further underlined the emphasis on a coaching legacy that lasts beyond Olympic and Paralympic year.

Alongside the development of uCoach – the website dedicated to coaching content and resource (www.uka.org.uk/coaching) – the move will see thousands of coaches able to access the latest range of event group coach education for no charge, simply in exchange for ongoing feedback on the new modules.

UKA’s strategic head of Coaching and development Kevin Tyler said:

“The UK is in a superb place with a home Games this year, and the onward coaching legacy that we have aimed for in the post Games era is another step closer with this announcement.

“The Event Group modules are the latest part of the restructure in coach education, comprising the collective knowledge of the country’s best coaching talent into up to 30 areas of study and assessment. These will allow the UK’s keen and aspiring coaching population to further hone their skills and explore the complexity of coaching athletes at this vital stage of the athlete development pathway.

“To be in a position to offer this part of the coach education structure free of charge is highly significant, and something not many sports will be in a position to do. With athletics playing such a vital part in the Olympic and Paralympics, it is an ideal opportunity for us to build on the legacy of the Games.”

England Athletics Head of Coaching Richard Wheater said:

“It’s a superb opportunity for coaches to further their development during a crucial year for the sport, and in underwriting the cost for the first 12 months, both England Athletics and UKA are continuing to develop what is being recognised as a world class Coach Education structure.

“With the release of these qualifications, we begin to blend the formal, assessed learning style required at the initial stages of qualifying as a coach, with the informal style which a coach will need for the rest of their coaching careers. This is an evolving process, essentially a one year pilot, and I cannot over-emphasise how much we want coach feedback.”

To find out more about the Coach Education Structure and available qualifications visit
uCoach – www.uka.org.uk/coaching

To find out more about how the Event Group Modules sit within the existing coach education pathway visit http://coaching.uka.org.uk/video/coaching-qualifications-update-may-2012/