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31/03/2009
£1.8 million to help sports coaches
Aspiring sports coaches have been getting help to pay for their courses and their tutors supported in getting higher qualifications - thanks to a programme funded by Sport England.
Access to quality coaching has been identified as a key factor in getting people playing more sport and making it a life-long habit. Sport England's latest survey of people's sporting experiences (Active People Survey 2) showed that 7.5 million people benefited from tuition from a coach in 2007/08.
The £1.8 million scheme has been delivered in partnership by the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, SkillsActive and sports coach UK. People taking an official coaching course recognised by the national governing bodies (NGBs) of 45 sports were able to apply for the support.
The programme was set up to fund:
. 3900 bursaries for people taking sports coaching courses
. Support for 1800 coach educators/tutors to achieve further qualifications
. Support to professionalise coaching schemes such as e-learning tools, databases and resources.
Phil Smith, Sport England's Director of Sport, said: "Increasing the number of high quality coaches in a wide range of sports will help us achieve our goals of getting one million people playing and enjoying more sport and helping those with talent fulfil their potential. Sport England has already committed to investing tens of millions of pounds in coaching over the next four years because we need great coaches to create world-leading grassroots sporting opportunities."
The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure coordinated the programme and presented potential coaches with a simple package of bursaries, education and training.
Florence Orban, interim CEO of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, said: "We are delighted to be playing a significant role in meeting Sport England's objectives of getting more people involved in sport, helping those with talent to excel in their sport and ensuring a quality experience for those who participate. Our partnership is a significant step towards creating a larger, more skilled, workforce that will help secure a lasting sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
The programme built on the success of a coaching bursary scheme, managed by SkillsActive, which has so far led to over 2,700 coaching qualifications being achieved in the South West and London.
Stephen Studd, SkillsActive Group CEO, said: "Coaches are the lifeblood of sport in this country and investment of this size will both support their development and continue to build a coaching infrastructure for the future. Quality coaching underpins so many of Great Britain's sporting ambitions - to be in the top five sporting nations by 2012 and to raise participation at grassroots level - so it is important we ensure the right people with the right skills are in place to support and deliver those ambitions."
Dr Pat Duffy, sports coach UK Group CEO, said: "This approach represents an important step in focusing and streamlining support to coaches and governing bodies of sport. The partnership approach is central to the UK Coaching Framework and maximising the role of coaching in support of grow, sustain and excel outcomes."