What qualifications are needed to become a coach?
To become a qualified coach you will need to undertake the appropriate National Governing Body, (NGB), qualification for your sport. The first sports specific qualification that you would need to take is a Level 1 Award which will enable you to become an Assistant Coach. These courses are available to anyone over the age of 16 years. To become a Head Coach you would need to gain some coaching experience as an Assistant Coach and then undertake a Level 2 qualification in your chosen sport. A Level 2 qualification will then enable you to lead a session. If you are unsure as to whether or not coaching is for you or you don’t know which sport you would like to coach, then there are also entry level qualifications which may be a good starting point. These courses help to develop a range of generic skills, such as planning, communicating, delivering and evaluating sessions – all the skills needed to become a good coach/leader. These courses are usually multi-sports and are available from the
