ARE YOU A POTENTIAL ATHLETICS COACH?

Have you ever considered the prospect of becoming a qualified Athletics Coach but remain unsure of how to get started, or are you already a qualified coach and looking for coaching opportunities at a Club?

Many people start by helping those already qualified with their work and then find that coaching is not as difficult as they anticipated! 

Birchfield Harriers are always seeking to recruit new members to their coaching staff for one simple reason, the Club continues to grow and the ever-increasing number of athlete members creates the demand for more coaches.  

Some of Birchfield Harriers current coaches have been recruited from parents of younger members of the Club. These people have now become experienced coaches in their own right and enjoy their work and involvement, and also seeing their athletes achieve higher and higher standards in competition. Others have come into the sport as competitors, and have moved on to be excellent coaches. Birchfield Harriers coaching team includes a number who are nationally and internationally recognised for their knowledge and expertise and who have experience of coaching as a part of Great Britain and England Team Management. 

To become a coach you need three initial qualities –  

·         To have a keen interest in athletics,

·         To understand people and have the ability to help them.

·         To be willing to learn more about the sport and about coaching!  

WHO ARE BIRCHFIELD HARRIERS? 

Birchfield Harriers is an Athletics Club that has a history stretching back some 128 years!

Club Members have represented Great Britain at the Olympics in all but one of the Games held since 1908. Many members have gained International status in Great Britain Teams at World and European Championships as members of Senior, Under 23, Under 20 and Under 18 age groups and, also at the Commonwealth Games as members of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Indian Teams.

Many others have been National, Regional and County Champions or have simply enjoyed running for their Club and achieving those all-important personal bests for their events. 

Birchfield Harriers, through its experienced team of Officers, Officials and Coaches, provide a wide range of Track and Field Events, Cross Country, Road Running and Road Relay opportunities for competition and include a strong group of members with Disability who compete in wheelchair events. 

Through succession planning, the Club needs to attract people who share their values and who would be proud to become “a Birchfield Harrier”!  Coaching is a very large part of that succession plan as the demand for membership of the Club grows.

Are you interested? Then read on. 

OBTAINING YOUR COACH LICENCE. 

Athletics coaches hold a Licence issued by UK Athletics, the National Governing Body of the Sport.

Coach Education courses are provided at many venues throughout the UK and, as you would expect, require varying amounts of attendance and study dependant on the level being taken.  

There are four levels of qualification at present starting at Level 1 with the highest being   Level 4.

Level 1

This Licence is the first to be gained and allows the coach to work with, and under the supervision of other coaches qualified to Level 2 and above. You will need to be at least 16 years of age to be able to take this award.  

As a Level 1 coach you will assist Level 2, 3 and 4 coaches and lead components of safe and fun recreational sessions. 

Level 2

To take this level of qualification the coach must already hold a qualification at Level 1, must be at least 18 years of age and to have had at least one years experience of practical coaching. At this level, the coach begins to specialise and is able to choose from a range of event groups!

As a Level 2 coach you will be able to plan, coach and evaluate a series of sessions for recreational athletes and those competing at local and sub-regional level. 

Level 3 

At this level of qualification, the coach can choose either or both of the Performance or Development pathway’s to follow. 

Performance Coach. 

At this level coaching becomes more specific and involves the study of both theory and practice! 

A Level 3 coach plans, conducts and evaluates an annual coaching programme for committed club athletes who compete at sub regional, regional and national level 

Development Coach.

The Development Coach is able to coach young athletes – fundamentals and event groups – and build links between the club and either schools or the community! 

Level 4

Performance Coach.

At this level of qualification the coach takes full responsibility for the management of every aspect of the performer’s preparation for competitive national and international success. 

Development Coach.

The Level 4 Development Coach manages the athlete and coach development pathways within their organisation and builds partnerships between the club and schools and communities. 

IF YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? 

If you would like to find out more about becoming a coach at Birchfield Harriers we would be pleased to hear from you. You can contact us by calling our Administration Manager on 0121-344-4858 or you can contact us at our postal address - 

Birchfield Harriers, Birmingham Alexander Stadium, Stadium Way, Off Walsall Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 2LR.  

Or, by E- Mail at  b.harriers@btconnect.com 

There is one specific requirement that you must comply with if you intend to gain a coaching qualification - to have completed a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.

All coaches at Birchfield Harriers have undergone or, are undergoing their CRB check.

All new coaches to the Club will need to complete this process before commencing their coaching work.

If you really are interested in becoming an athletics coach, don’t let this task put you off the idea as the whole process is far simpler than you might think.

Having almost completed the process with our team of nearly fifty coaches over the last few months, should we be fortunate enough to recruit you as a coach we would be pleased to advise and guide you towards the completion of your Level 1 coach qualification and your CRB Check. 

You can find out more about coaching at: -    www.ukathletics.net