As part of the UK Coaching Framework, sports coach UK have been working with key partners to explore the potential for a UK License to Practice for sports coaches.
Over the past twenty years national sports coaching policy documents have identified the development of a 'License to Practice' for sports coaches. Within the past decade some sports, including tennis and athletics, have introduced sport specific schemes as an extension of their provision of qualifications for their sports coaches.
More recently, with the introduction and development of UK Coaching Certificate qualifications, the number of sports considering the development of such a scheme has increased. In response to the statements in the Coaching Task Force Report 2002, sports coach UK began exploring the issues around the introduction of a License to Practice scheme and the development of a UK standard for such a scheme. In July 2007, as part of this process we commissioned Genesis Consulting Limited to undertake a feasibility study as part of the overall process. This process is to provide an independent and objective view of the issues involved and make proposals on a way forward. Genesis Consulting Limited are reporting back in the new year and are currently undertaking a consultation process across the UK to gather views of organisations and individuals involved in sport.
As part of this process they wished to provide an opportunity for managers of coaches, employers of coaches (paid), deployers of coaches (voluntary) and any other individual with an interest in expressing their views to contribute to the current consultation process.
Genesis Consulting Limited recently ran a series of 5 focus group meetings around the UK through which they have gathered the views of individuals attending the events. The presentation used at these events is available to download from this website for your information, please see the link below. In addition a reply form has been provided for you to complete and return to Alistair Hay at sports coach UK (ahay@sportscoachuk.org).
In the first phase of this consultation all replies received up to and including the 21 November have been included in the License and Registration Feasibility Study consultation process and will be included in their report.
Any replies received after the 21 November will be included in subsequent stages of the License to Practice project in the new year.
License to Practice Presentation
License to Practice Response Form
sports coach UK is at this time and for the duration of the feasibility study making no recommendations of any sort as to the proposed outcome, structure or nature of any potential License to Practice Scheme. The presentation and response form has been designed for the feasibility (with Genesis Consulting Limited) and at this time do not represent any views or recommendations from
sports coach UK. Once the study has been completed, further consultation will be carried out and a report will be published in 2008.
