UK Coaching Week started on the 7th June and lasts until 13 June and aims to empower athletes, coaches, organisations, and the public to celebrate #GreatCoaching. The aim is to encourage coaches to adapt and recover their space within the sport and physical activity sector.
Underpinning this week’s #UKCoachingWeek activity are the principles of Duty to Care. The 'Duty to Care' toolkit equips coaches with the knowledge and skills to provide great coaching experiences. Set across five areas, known as pillars – Diversity, Inclusion, Mental Health, Safeguarding and Well-being – the toolkit challenges coaches to demonstrate their knowledge of the principles of Duty to Care, creating diverse and inclusive environments that help to increase the mental health and well-being of both them and their participants. We are encouraging all coaches to earn their FREE duty of care digital badge which is nationally recognised. For more information, please click here (https://www.ukcoaching.org/duty-to-care)
Additionally, new statistics, released by UK Coaching during UK Coaching Week, show that the majority of Brits believe coaches will help nation become fitter and more active, however, 9 in 10 coaches are concerned about the poor mental and physical health of their participants.
The role that coaches play in inspiring people to be active will become increasingly significant as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, with 72% of the British public saying that coaches and instructors will be important in supporting and encouraging people to get back into physical activity after the pandemic.
The coronavirus crisis has had a huge impact on the nation’s activity levels, with 1.2 million more adults now classed as ‘inactive’ (up 2.6% to 27.1%) and less than half (44.9%) of children and young people meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of 60 minutes a day. The pandemic has also impacted the nation’s mental well-being, with new data from UK Coaching showing that nearly 9 in 10 coaches (87%) are concerned about the poor mental and physical health of participants. Additionally, nearly half of all coaches (47%) said one of the biggest challenges currently facing them is motivating people to return to sport and physical activity.
Coaches will be central to the nation’s restart, with research conducted by YouGov on behalf of UK Coaching revealing that 7 in 10 adults (70%) believe grassroots coaches and instructors are important in helping Britain become a fitter and more active society. National Coaching Week gives coaches the opportunity to share their voice, be heard and generate the investment they need to reinvent, recover and return and support their participants.
Further information can be found on the UK Coaching website (https://www.ukcoaching.org/). For guidance on mental health, please visit Mind (https://www.mind.org.uk/)