Minimum Standards for Deployment of Coaches
Context
Part of the delivery criteria for Sportivate is that all activity is safe and high quality.
Establishing Minimum Standards for Deployment of all coaches working on the
programme will help address both the safeguarding and quality assurance issues
associated with delivery. The following Standards are based on recommendations
from sports coach UK and on local guidance agreed in consultation with the subregional Workforce Steering Group.
‘SASSOT Coaching’ Data Management System
SASSOT has launched an enhanced version of the coaches database that offers
numerous additional benefits whilst still maintaining the recommended Minimum
Standards for Deployment of sports coaches.
The system is hosted on the website www.sassotcoaching.org.uk and is dedicated to
the needs of sports coaches and key partners. Once a coach registers on SASSOT
Coaching, the following benefits are available:
 The opportunity for coaches to generate an online CV and store qualifications
online
 The chance to tell us about CPD needs
 The opportunity to record and evaluate coaching sessions
 Automated email reminders of when qualifications are due to expire
 Find out about job opportunities
 Book and pay for education and training online
To register as a coach:
 Visit www.sassotcoaching.org.uk
 Click on ‘Register as a Coach’
 Complete the fields as required such as name, email, qualifications etc
 You will be provided with a password so you can login to the system
whenever you like and view / make additions to your profile
The system can provide the mechanism for partners to have a login to the system to
check Minimum Standards for Deployment of sports coaches, although partners
must take responsibility for verifying these standards. If you would like to discuss
setting up a login to SASSOT Coaching, then please contact Lee Booth (see below).
The Minimum Standards for Deployment of coaches working on the Sportivate
programme are as follows:
Essential
 Current NGB qualification in the sport(s) to be coached (normally Level Two or
above for a lead coach, Level One or above for an assistant coach, but as per
NGB guidance)
 Minimum age requirement (18 or over for a lead coach, 16 or over for an
assistant coach)
 Enhanced CRB check (if working with under 18s and / or vulnerable adults)
 Safeguarding Training (attended within the last three years, if working with under
18s)
 Membership of relevant NGB or of relevant NGB coach license scheme (where
available)
 First Aid Training (attended within the last three years) if first aid provision is not
available via the facility or via other means during the activity
 Public Liability Insurance or at least £5 million (if not provided via the employer /
activity provider)
 Appropriate coaching competency (see risk assessment section below)
Strongly Desirable
 Equity Awareness training
 Disability Awareness training
 Full registration on ‘SASSOT Coaching’ (see above) - this will become an
Essential Standard for Year Two onwards
Risk Assessments
All Sportivate Providers should carry out a full risk assessment of the activity before
sessions commence. This includes assessing the competency of the coach(es). As
well as ensuring the coach meets the Minimum Standards for Deployment outlined
above, the Provider should ensure that the coach is competent to deliver the planned
activity, i.e. do they have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to deliver
sessions in the relevant sport(s) to the specific age group / level of experience /
group size / venue that this activity is targeted at? Observing the coach ‘in action’ is
essential in order to be able to assess this competency (see attached for a sample
coach competency assessment form). However, an initial indication can also be
gained through:
 Asking for information about the coach’s previous experience i.e. through a CV,
interview etc.
 Following up references from previous employers
Please note - the completion of a risk assessment by the Provider, as outlined
above, does not remove the requirement of individual coaches to risk assess for
every session.
Additional Information
 Where sports have a nationally-recognised NGB qualification structure, the
minimum operating criteria as outlined above apply in full.
 Where sports do not have a nationally-recognised qualification structure,
any criteria set by the NGB should be used instead (i.e. for some martial arts their
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instructors have to have achieved a specific level of personal performance before
they can instruct). Providers must undertake a risk assessment of the
competency of the coach as per the section above. Anyone undertaking this
assessment must be competent to carry it out.
Where there is no nationally-recognised NGB, providers must undertake a risk
assessment of the competency of the coach as per the section above.
Where activity is Multi Sport, coaches must meet the minimum operating
criteria outlined above, including the lead coach holding a Level 2 or equivalent
qualification in every sport to be delivered. You may want to consider using
different coaches to deliver different sports.
Where activity is Multi Skills, coaches must meet the minimum operating
criteria outlined above, with the lead coach holding a Level 2 or equivalent
qualification in at least one recognised sport. Additionally the lead coach must
have attended the sports coach UK ‘FUNdamentals of Movement’ workshop or
equivalent multi skills training
Multi Sport is defined as a series of sport-specific coaching sessions in more than
one sport. Multi Skills is defined as a non sport-specific activity based on the
fundamentals of movement, which develops core skills such as agility, balance,
co-ordination etc.
If you feel your activity does not fit into the above categories, please contact Ben
Hollands or Lee Booth (see below for contact details) to discuss.
Further Information and Support
For further information and support, please contact Ben Hollands, Workforce
Development Manager (bhollands@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785 619317) or Lee
Booth, Coaching Development Manager (lbooth@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785
619730)