UK’s first Coaching Week to celebrate wider impact of sports coaches

Great sports coaches will be celebrated in the UK’s first dedicated Coaching Week, to be held in June.

UK Coaching has announced that the inaugural campaign will take place from 4 to 10 June, with events held across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“We’re very excited to be able to launch such an exciting campaign and ensure coaching across the UK is rightly celebrated,” said Emma Atkins, director of coaching at UK Coaching.

“The exciting part of this campaign is to hear from the public about what they feel great coaching is for them.

“For coaching to be great it primarily must meet our own motivations, which in turn allows us to utilise sport and physical activity to benefit and in many cases, transform our lives.”

The campaign, supported by national governing bodies for sport, invites people to share examples of great experiences.

It will focus on the impact of coaching on mental and physical wellbeing, as well as individual, economic and social development.

“It’s vitally important for us to help raise awareness of the broader benefits of coaching – we want to see everyone, from coaches, participants, parents and performers to all the organisations that deploy a coaching workforce, really get behind this initiative,” Atkins added.

Backing the campaign, Paralympic swimming champion Ollie Hynd said: “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of coaching.

“Throughout my journey as an athlete, from grassroots to elite level, coaches have helped me across all elements of my life to allow me to develop and become the person I am today.”

UK Coaching is working with agencies to develop the 10 Principles of Great Coaching, which aims to help people recognise and understand high standards.

Recent figures show that more than nine million adults in the UK have received coaching over the past 12 months.

For more details, click here.