Coaching assistant
Also known as; Assistant sports coach, coach assistant, assistant coach
A coaching assistant will improve a participant’s experience of sport and physical activity by supporting a coach to provide specialised support and guidance aligned to their individual needs.
What does a Coaching assistant do?
Coaching assistants help to improve an individual’s experience of sport and physical activity by providing support to coaches in the delivery of activities. They may also deliver part of a coaching session under supervision. They help with the preparation, delivery and review of activity sessions, and have an inspirational effect on the individuals, groups or communities that they work with.
Coaching assistants help to ensure that the culture and environment they are supporting sessions within is designed to meet the individual or group’s needs and that it allows them to achieve their goals and aspirations. This includes tailoring the experience to the individual and taking an inclusive approach.
They regularly work alongside coaches and other coaching assistants, volunteers and parents to ensure that each individual’s experience is the best that it can be.
Skills and behaviours
The following common or transferable skills are most frequently asked for by employers in coaching assistant job adverts across the UK:
| Skills and behaviours | % prevalence in job ads |
|---|---|
| Coaching | 74% |
| Planning | 39% |
| Communication | 26% |
| Interpersonal communications | 18% |
| First aid | 16% |
| Leadership | 16% |
| Teaching | 13% |
| Management | 13% |
| Time management | 13% |
| Motivational skills | 11% |
To find out more about the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate to become a coaching assistant, you can visit our occupational professional standards library.
How to become a Coaching assistant
There are several ways you can become qualified as a coaching assistant. Look at the options below to explore what option works best for you.
Complete a qualification with a training provider
You can complete a non-sport-specific qualification such as:
- Level 1 Award in Coaching Assistant (Sport and Physical Activity)
- Level 1 Award in Coaching Assistant (Multi-Skills)
Alternatively, you can complete a sport-specific coaching qualification of your chosen sport such as:
- Level 1 Award in Coaching Primary Rugby League
- Level 1 Award in Coaching Netball
You can browse our Training Directory to see CIMSPA-endorsed non-sport-specific and sport-specific courses and qualifications.
Complete a sport-specific qualification with a national governing body (NGB)
For sport-specific qualifications, you can find out more information on coaching in your chosen sport via that sport's national governing body (NGB) website.
Download the full list of the national governing bodies recognised by UK sports councils.
Course entry requirements, delivery and cost
Coaching assistant courses can be delivered in an online, in-person or hybrid (online and in person) format and do not typically have any entry requirements. The total course cost, study time and guided learning hours will vary depending on the delivery format, qualification and training provider/NGB you choose.
College or university
Some colleges and universities have embedded coaching qualifications into their sports coaching and development learning programmes.
You can browse our CIMSPA Endorsed Training Directory to check for colleges and universities that are recognised by CIMSPA for providing quality training to students.
In the Training Directory, you can also check what courses our endorsed colleges and universities offer as well as course entry requirements, a summary of course content/material and more information on how to apply.
Apprenticeship
You can find out more about completing a CIMSPA approved apprenticeship to become a Sports Coach via The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website.
Professional Standards
CIMSPA is the guardian of a single professional and apprenticeship standards framework for the sport and physical activity sector – outlining the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate for every occupation and job role in the sector.
This standards framework is driving the development of quality education products for our workforce and supporting employers in assessing which job roles an individual is qualified for.
Coaching assistant Courses and qualifications
Swim England Assistant Swimming Coach Certificate
Sports Coaching: Inclusive Skating Assistant Coach (GT87 04)
What's the best role for you?
Career paths and progression
Career pathways
Side Steps
Next Steps
Aspirational Steps
Career progression
As well as exploring new career pathways, as a coaching assistant, you can also choose to progress your career by completing further training or continued professional development (CPD) in your role. This training can be added to enable coaching assistants to show their expertise in additional populations, in different environments and with technical specialisms.
Examples of specialisms that may be added are:
- Working with children
- Working in the school environment
Continuing Professional Development
Swim England Assistant Swimming Coach Certificate
Sports Coaching: Inclusive Skating Assistant Coach (GT87 04)
Find a job as a Coaching assistant
The content of the job posts displayed on the CIMSPA jobs board are pulled in through feeds from websites which are not under the control of CIMSPA.
CIMSPA will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information presented on the jobs board.